Essays, Interviews, Observations, Pop Culture, Stories, and other Dodginess

The freakier side of the Lake County Fair

Posted on August 8, 2011

So according to Wikipedia, Freak Shows were popular in this country in the mid 19th to mid 20th centuries and mostly associated with carnivals and circuses. It also says that “changes in popular culture and entertainment, and changing attitudes about physical differences, led to the decline of the freak show as a form of entertainment.”

Well not at the Lake County Fair in Crown Point, Indiana this August.  You won’t read about this in any of the fair brochures or preview stories.

The devil child has come to Crown Point. You can either hide it, or help someone try to stop it.

Misty the Mermaid awaits you…just steps from the Ferris wheel. Not sure what girls going wild have to do with Misty.

The menu of fun. Big Dick the Giant Frog I’m told is the highlight. Really though, some of this can be seen walking around Crown Point’s Square on a late weekend night when the bars close down.

Corn Head Guy sounds like he would be part of the Freak Show tent trailer but instead he was shucking for customers at the sweet corn booth.

Next time I think we’ll do a photo/fashion collection of the carnies working the games.

The fair was filled with some pretty and good. Like this gal, definitely not a freak, who performed during the Indiana 105.5 FM Texaco Country Showdown.

Her name is either Crystal Ann or Krystal Ann from Dyer. She performed a song with lyrics along the lines of “You got a girlfriend and I’ve got a girl.” Not sure if that’s her original or what but she’s pretty good.  The finals are Aug. 14. I bet she’ll be there.

By the way I didn’t enter the freak show tent trailer. I was entertained enough on the outside.

A little Crown Brewing action…

Posted on August 6, 2011

Three Floyds gets a lot of the pub around here, but I prefer Crown Brewing for its convenient downtown Crown Point location (as opposed to Floyds’ industrial/nowhere zone Munster locale). Right smack-dab next to the jail Dillinger escaped from. Great place for outdoor patio drinking and eating. If you’re not aware of the joint or are from out of town definitely check out its website for more info. And NWIDODGY looks forward to drinking their fine brews at the downtown Oktoberfest bash.

Pierogi Fest runs out of (Lite) beer

Posted on August 2, 2011

The crowded-ass Pierogi Fest in Whiting on Saturday night. Ran out of Lite beer. Maybe that’s a good thing. Sweaty bods all up on  ya. Maybe that’s a good thing.

The Long Walk

If you enter Pierogi Fest at its main entrance on 119th and Indianapolis and your first and main goal is the beer garden prepare for a death march. I think it took 45 minutes to get there while weaving through a crowded mass of bodies, strollers, Polish sausages.

The beer garden system there is in a little disarray. First you wait in a long line (and this of course depends on the time but it’s usually a mess when evening calls) to get your ticket. Then it’s another long walk to where they’re serving the cups (one size – I believe it was 16 ounce) of beer. And another long line. They need to streamline this. Move it along. Beers were $3 each and at 10:30 p.m. the Lite beer was gone. No problem, the other selection, which may have been genuine draft or something of that sort (it’s a beer garden. Who really cares what’s to drink in there as long as it has alcohol).

As far as the fest itself, one of the music highlights was a band called How Happy and their choice in tunes which included “Pale Shelter” by Tears for Fears (not something you’ll hear often), “Lips Like Sugar” by Echo and the Bunnymen and “Just Like Heaven” by the Cure.

If polka music is your thing, well, you had plenty of that.

And as far as that How Happy band, I tried to find their website but couldn’t. If one even exists.

There also seemed to be a few non-Polish but ethnic gals who dressed like Talia Al Ghul.