Fair food: Already can't wait until next year!

The 183rd rendition of the Seneca County Fair recently came to a close, and with it went its food vendors. Between what are considered by many as traditional fair treats and a few unique options, residents are already licking their chops for next year. It's no surprise that the Texas Tenderloin once again drew a steady line. A breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet so large the bun typically only covers the center. Deep-fried Oreos brought their usual melt-in-your-mouth sweetness, while corn dogs offered a familiar and almost reliable bite. Other stands added variety, offering deep-fried cheese and vegetables for those skipping meat.Ribbon fries were another crowd favorite, served either plain or loaded with toppings like cheese, bacon bits and sour cream. Not only are ribbon fries popular, so are buckets of french fries —often topped with vinegar and salt. When the suns' beating down and nothing sounds better than an ice cold drink, there were hand-shaken lemonades and a wide variety of teas available throughout the midway, keeping guests cool with each freshly mixed cup. A Lemon Shake-Up, one of the most popular fair food items, surprisingly consists of three simple ingredients: lemon slices, sugar, and water. The three are blended by hand in a shaker, and can almost always be found in an iconic lemonade branded cup. Moving away from fried foods was SGT Oink's BBQ, founded in 1995 by Gary and Teresa Stephens. The stand brought award-winning flavors from decades of competitive cooking. Pulled pork and beef brisket sandwiches came with a choice of house-made sauces: sweet, mild or original. Jac n Do's Pizza, a Tiffin mainstay for more than 55 years, sold slices, whole pies and subs. Their pizza sub, layered with pepperoni, cheese, and sauce, then toasted until the bread was crisp, was another available alternative to fried food. A variety of options were also available for dessert, including that of Rader's Old-Fashioned Ice Cream. The company has been growing since 2004, when Grace and Carl Rader began making ice cream by hand with a 1930s John Deere Three Horse Hit/Miss engine. Carl shared that during fair season they go through several gallons of ice-cream per day. Now as he and his wife prepare to retire, their daughter Amanda is beginning to transition into running the stand —which keeps a steady rotation of flavors and also sells kettle corn, another Rader family favorite. From oversized tenderloins to hand-churned ice cream, the fair's offerings reminded visitors that sometimes the food is just as much a tradition as the rides and the ribbon-winning livestock.