Decadent Delight: Foods on the County Fair Midway

County and state fair season kicks off locally this week with the St. Charles County Fair at  in Wentzville. Main stage concerts, barrel racing and fireworks are touted as the big draw, but it’s the fair food that gets me excited.

Fair food is the ultimate summer indulgence. Most often served up deep-fried and/or stuck on a stick, these foods have become American culinary icons like the venerable corn dog. And let's not forget the funnel cakes, cotton candy and jalapeno poppers—all Midway mainstays the foodie faithful anxiously wait for each year. 

Throughout the past decade, fast food vendors have tossed coronary concerns aside as they’ve served up deep-fried Oreo Cookies, Milky Way Bars and spaghetti and meatballs on a stick.

Chicken fried bacon was the latest rage a few years back at the Texas State Fair. Its creator Glen Kusak, along with fellow Texan Abel Gonzales, have led the pack of vendors who have been driven to produce more decadent culinary calorie bombs. Gonzales is considered the Texas grand champ whose creations have included fried cookie dough, fried peanut butter and jelly and deep-fried butter. Yep, deep-fried butter (frozen butter balls encased in dough that’s flash fried). According to Gonzales, his fried butter tastes like a hot roll with butter.

“This year, we have a vendor doing chocolate covered bacon,” said Missouri State Fair Spokesperson Kari Mergen who explained that while most fair food is high fat and fried, this year’sMissouri State Fair will feature fresh berries, setting a healthier food trend. “This year there’s berry kabobs and berry pizza. We’re expecting them to go over big.”

At this year’s St. Charles County Fair you can bet the midway will have all the classics foods you crave. The fair opened yesterday and runs through Saturday. The admission price covers all arena events, main stage and pavilion entertainment.