The Zipper, a goldfish and a Dutch Annie waffle – three cheers for the Lake County Fair

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As I write this, my newly won goldfish – dubbed Zebra because of his white-and-gold-striped body – is swimming in a bag by my side.

I've just returned from the Lake County Fair, which I attended with reporter Stephanie Lehman.

We went to the fair with two goals in mind.

No. 1 – Ride the Zipper.

No. 2 – Eat some deliciosly bad-for-you fair food.

I am happy to report that we did both.

We got to the fair about 2 p.m. today, and after scoping out the food, determined that we had better ride the Zipper first, so that we wouldn't get sick.

For me, the Zipper has always been a mysterious and somewhat – hmmm – intense? – ride.

When I was little and attended village fairs and festivals with my family, my dad would point to the Zipper and tell my two sisters and me that the cars on the Zipper usually fall off and people fly away to their deaths.

Thanks dad.

And then my mom would tell me the true story of how she once rode the Zipper with a friend who wound up puking, and the puke got all over their hair and faces when they went upside down.

My parents sure made the ride sound like fun.

Their stories clarify why I – a person who pretty much loves any amusement ride – has reservations about the Zipper.

I don't think I'm the only one by any means. When I researched the Zipper on Wikipedia today, I found this:

"The machine has been comically described as an instrument of torture, but nonetheless maintains a strong fan base of thrill-seekers."

Enough said.

Stephanie and I weren't going to let any stories about the Zipper keep us away from the ride. So, we got in line behind some little kids and waited our turn.

I was a little nervous, but in an excited way.

Once we got on the ride and the front door was latched, the terror – and fun – began.

We were trust around and upside down again and again. We screamed and laughed and had a blast. It was an experience well worth the $4 each we paid.

After we got our adrenaline kick, we headed back toward the food. That's when I saw the goldfish game.

Ah, memories.

Growing up, I won a fish at a fair after I threw a ping-pong ball into a tiny glass bowl that had a goldfish swimmin' around in it.

That fish was named Goldie Glub Glub, and he lived for a long time. He was the only pet I ever had that was my very own.

Until today.

Upon seeing the goldfish game, I thought I would test my luck.

I bought four ping-pong balls for $1, but missed getting any one of them into one of the glass bowls.

Since I had a few more dollars in my wallet, I bought another batch of balls for $1. It was then that I won Zebra. And it sure did feel great!

Gold fish in hand, Steph and I continued our way toward the food.

I stopped to get a giant turkey leg, which Steph also wound up getting. The $7 legs were delicious.

The vendor told us that the turkeys come from Washington and are shipped to Chicago. The legs are smoked and come in barbecue and plain. Both Steph and I wound up bringing half of our legs home – we didn't want to fill ourselves up too much as we knew we also wanted a sweet treat.

That's where some serious decision-making came into play.

We weren't sure at first if we wanted a funnel cake, elephant ear or a Dutch Annie waffle, which Lake County Fair Association President Dave DeYoung had told Steph in a recent interview was his favorite fair treat.

Going on Dave's word, we opted for the waffle, which essentially is a super delicious warm waffle sandwich with a square of vanilla ice cream in the middle.

It was so good! And as a matter of fact, we forgot to pay for the treat while we were chatting with the stand operators. And then left the fair and went to the parking lot.

When we got to Steph's car, she gave me $2. I asked her what for, and she said for the waffle (which actually costs $3.50). I told her I didn't pay for it, and then we looked at each other and went right back to the stand to pay. The stand operators were very understanding. thank goodness.

Our experiences at the fair were great, and I would recommend that area families seeking fun this weekend check it out.

And now me – and my new gold fish – are leaving for the day.

Have a great weekend, Lake County!