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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1998)
■ Funnel cakes, turkey legs, walking tacos and Grater Taters tempt fairgoing taste buds. ByAdamKlinker Staff writer As people began streaming into the Nebraska State Fair on Sunday, one question was prominent on many lips: “What should we get to eat?” The ambiguous answer came in the form of more than 50 food, drink and dessert stands in many locations across the fair grounds. Nearly everything from hamburgers and french fries and funnel cakes to walking tacos and smoked turkey legs and Grater Taters were circulating around the fair. “This is one of my favorite pastimes,” Dan Kreitman of Ceresco said. “Coming to the fair to eat.” Kreitman and his wife Patty were visiting the fair for the first time in five years, along with Dan’s parents and an uncle from Indiana. The Kreitmans said they enjoyed a “greasy” breakfast of funnel cake, a staple among fair foods. Other stands around the fairgrounds advertised unique foods, such as the Grater Tater. Cheryl McKinney of Mallard, Iowa, who works in the Grater Tater stand, said the pecu liar potato creation is a cross between a french fry and a potato chip, giving it a thick but crunchy presentation. At the Korney Korner stand, proprietor Gayle Carter of Lincoln said the main attrac tion was corn on the cob, but another cre ation, the walking taco, was an interesting alternative. Consisting of a small bag of Fritos corn chips, seasoned ground beef, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and salsa, die walking taco was another in the numerous items of the state fair food repertoire. Carter said the Korney Komer stand has been serving fresh com and other foods at the fair for more than 50 years. She and her fam ily have run it for about 20 years. At the Kiwanis Country Kitchen, an indoor food venue, volunteer members of the Lincoln Kiwanis International Club served old-fashioned, homemade meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner. “We’ve got the best food on the fair grounds,” said Kiwanis volunteer Herb Fosnagh. However, Fosnagh said, the crowds at the Country Kitchen were sparse compared with past attendance. He said an increase in vending competi tion and the absence of the Labor Day holiday during the opening weekend may be responsi ble. He said he expected attendance to pick up later in the week. On other fronts, though, attendance was looking up. Sharon Schrock, manager of vendor and space rental at die fair, said the stand opera tors were doing a good job of keeping their places of business clean and presentable, thus attracting more people. “Everything looks really good,” Schrock said. “(Vendors) have really improved their eye appeal.” Schrock said over the next week, admis sion price specials will play a big role in drawing people to the fair. On Monday and Tuesday, gate admission will be $4, half the price of the usual $8 super-pass. But patrons wishing to view the car races will have to pay the full price pf admission or pay another $4 at the grand stand. After 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, gate admission is free. A $13 wristband can be purchased for unlimited rides on the mid way until midnight. Winged insects pester fairgoers Bugs swarm after sunset, but attendance is up By Adam Klinker Staff writer Usually, you can count on a cou ple days of oppressive heat to ward off crowds at the Nebraska State Fair. This year, an infiltration of winged insects may have been the chief adversary of the fair’s opening weekend. All along the main grounds and in the midway, vendors said the bugs were the worst in recent memory. “These are just hideous little things,” Margaret Petcoflf of Lincoln said as she brushed a few of the bugs away. Petcqff was working in the St. James United Methodist Church food stand. She said that despite the insects, the stand was functioning smoothly. Sharron Quisenberry, head of the entomology department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said the insects, known as “leaf hoppers,” usually nest in the grass during the day and come out in mass at night. She said they are mainly attracted to light from street lamps, or the kind of light used to illuminate the stands at die fair. Quisenberry said leaf hoppers pose no threat to humans, but will be a nuisance if not controlled. “You can set your watch to them,” said Gayle Carter, owner of the Korney Korner concession stand. “The swarms are just enormous.” Every evening around 9:45, the sky fills with swarms of the insects, migrating toward the light, Carter said. In past years, Carter said, she kept her stand open until the midway closed at midnight. So far in 1998, insects have forced her to close her stand as early as 10 p.m. “They’re just killing business everywhere,” Carter said. “I would n’t think of serving anybody with all of them around,” Doris Sargent of Mobile, Ala., was operating a concession stand on the midway and agreed the smaller insects - as well as the flies - were an annoyance. .. ; o “Thegkfjics ate the worst J’ve seen anywhere,” Sargent said. The stands faring the best in terms of insect control were the ones indoors and in the pavilion near the west entrance. Most fairgoers had no complaints about the insects as the bugs usually didn’t merge until the evening, when lights go on in the stands. David Tarrence of Illinois said he found a temporary solution for his Dippin’ Dots ice cream stand. Tarrence said he turns out the lights when the bugs start to swarm, and is able to remain open and serve people in the dark. So far, he said, the response has been good. Sharon Schrock, manager of ven dor stand and space rental for the fair, said she thought attendance at the fair so far had been good, though the bug « “They’re just killing business everywhere!’ Gayle Caster concession stand owner problem is a major concern. “From where we’re sitting, the attendance looks excellent,” Schrock said. “Bugs are the biggest problem, but we don’t notice them during most of the year because most of (the fair grounds) is unused. This yeat it ip way worse than ever.”~ tr ! Schrock said workers will contin ue spraying in the mornings and evenings, and she hoped the problem could be solved quickly so vendors could stay open later and draw bigger crowds. “You can’t beat Mother Nature,” said Chad Weidner, a senior English and German major. “I’m getting sick of (the insects) ” On Sunday, Weidner was spraying for leaf hoppers at 7 a.m. He works for Bob Henrickson, the curator of the Nebraska State Arboretum. Weidner was using an organic spray designed to dehydrate the insects and decrease their rapid reproduction. He said a more powerful insecti cide would probably be applied in the evening after fairgoers go home. Wisdom of Yoda - Kl\/k Monday-Friday, August 31-September 4 Photos Main Foyer-Nebraska Union J|jj||| ■
