Eastern Idaho State Fair is going to be sweet
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BLACKFOOT — It’s that time of year when eastern Idaho goes to Blackfoot to play.
The Eastern Idaho State Fair starts Friday and runs through Sept. 8. As usual, the fair is jam packed with carnival rides, competitions, vendors, music and comedy performances, and so many sweet and savory treats you’ll end up in a food coma.
EastIdahoNews.com staffers nearly collapsed into a sugary nirvana Thursday while judging the annual Best Fair Food Contest, in which members of the media from around the area got to sample 21 different fair foods that go on sale starting Friday.
“We walked in, and we waddled out,” said Robert Patten, EastIdahoNews.com’s web developer.
It was hard to resist the wide variety of treats this year, from a savory deep fried mac & cheese slathered in melted gouda from Billmans, to a maple milkshake full of bacon from Mammoth Mountain, to garlic crab fries from Pit Stop.
The fair food was judged in four categories: Fairest of Them All — Entree, Fairest of Them All — Sweet, Best New Entree and Best New Sweet.
The overall winner in the entree category was the Cowboy Burger from Billmans — a beef patty covered in grilled onions, mushrooms, ham and bacon. In the overall sweet category, the Mamma Banana from Creamy Creations won. The dessert is banana ice cream served in a waffle cone, with a brownie bite and a frozen banana covered in chocolate.
In the best new categories, the entree winner was the Gourmet Tacona by La Casita. It’s carne asada inside a waffle cone, served with hot sauce. The sweet winner was the Peaches & Dream Churro from CR Fish & Things. It’s a fresh-baked churro covered in fresh sliced peaches and whipped cream.
Besides food at the fair, there are a host of things to do.
More about the fair
The fair is going to be headlined by country music band Montgomery Gentry and comedian Larry the Cable Guy. But there are a full lineup of performers through the two weeks. For a schedule of performers, click here.