Fried corn dogs, caramel apples, and ice-cold crunchy pickles.
We’ve taken everything we love about the fair and turned it intoan old-fashioned county fair party, perfect for summer!
There’s just something so nostalgic about a county fair.
I wanted my county fair party to look like a classic Americana scene from Pollyanna.
Today I’m sharing all our old-fashioned county fair party details and how you can throw a similar party too!
To set the scene for the party, I pulled out some of my rustic wood crates and got a couple of bales of hay.
These, along with the worn white wood slats of our shed and our rustic work bench, added to the fair-feel we were going for.
Sincemost county fairs had a patriotic feel to them, I used my handmade DIY American flag garlandthat I made a few years ago (you can find the tutorial here).
Although the 4th has just passed, the bunting fit our classic America county fair party theme perfectly!
I also picked up some fabric in red gingham, blue checkers, and a lovely floral fabric that tied in the other fabric colors.
I cut a few swatches out and placed them on top of the wood crates to add some color and a country, vintage feel to the party.
You might have noticed the same fabric on them jars of lemonade in the galvanized drink tub filled with ice.
I poured lemonade into mason jars, added a circle of fabric to the top cut with pinking shears, then screwed on the lid.
This is such an easy way to get pretty jars of lemonade without mucheffort!
Galvanized pails, tubs, and trays really added to the county fair feel, as did a rustic wood holder I used to hold checkered plates and napkins, a red metal picnic basket, and a large wood slice platter.
At the center of the table on top of the crates stands a galvanized drink dispenser, which held more lemonade for refilling the mason jar glasses.
A cold jar of picklesare ready to eat, as are the Pink Lady apples stacked on the turquoise vintage-style scale.
Homemade corn dogs are the center of attention in the middle of the table.
Keep reading forthe homemade corn dogs recipe!
If you’ve never made corn dogs at home before, you’re in for a treat!
They are so much better than store-bought, and definitely rival those sold at the fair.
Add some ketchup and mustard and you’ve got the perfect fair treat!
One of my very favorite fair foods are caramel apples.
I made a big batch of caramel apples, but with a slight twist.
I added some peanut butter to create peanut butter caramel apples!
They taste very similar to caramel apples but have a slight nutty flavor, which tastes amazing when finished apples are dipped into chopped peanuts.
YUM!!
To make the peanut butter caramel apples, I used my regular caramel apple recipe, but just added 1/4 cup peanut butter to the ingredients.
It was the perfect amount for a delicious and subtle peanut butter flavor!
Juicy ice-cold fresh sliced watermelon is a delicious summer treat, and we served it on a galvanized tray.
Ears of corn on the cob halves were placed on wood skewer sticks, then creatively placed inside a galvanized pail (just add a styrofoam ball to the bottom of the pail to hold the sticks).
Just pluck off a stick of corn and enjoy with some butter, salt, and pepper.
You can never go wrong with fresh flowers, so I added some to our county fair party setup.
Love the pretty color they add to the table!
Popcorn, candy sticks, and gumballs were sweet treats guests could grab and enjoy.
And now for the recipe you’ve been waiting for.
Let’smake some corn dogs!
Homemade Corn Dogs Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1 egg
- 1 c soymilk
- Hebrew NationalBeef Franks
- Vegetable oil
- Wood skewers
Step 1. Combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
Add the honey, egg, and soymilk and stir until combined.
Place in the fridge for a few hours so the batter gets very cold.
Step 2. Dry off the beef frankscompletely and add a little flour to each dog so that the batter will stick to it.
Place a wood skewer stick througheach one.
Step 3. Poursome oil into a wide pan so that it’s a few inches deep.
Turn the heat tomedium until the oil reaches about 360 degrees.
Step 4. Pour the batter into a tall drinking glass so it’s easier to dip.
Depending on the thickness of your batter, you might need to add a bit more soy milk to the mixture.
Dip a frank on a stickinto the batter, then pull out.
Let excess batter drip off each onebefore carefully placing into the hot oil.
Let fry on one side, then turn to the other side with tongs until both sides are an even light brown color.
Carefully remove the corn dog with tongs and place onto a plate with paper towels on top to absorb the excess oil.
Repeat until all the hot dogs are cooked.
Just add some ketchup and mustard for the ultimate fair corn dog!
I hope I’ve inspired you with our county fair party.
It’s such a wonderful, classic theme that’s perfect for summer entertaining.
Now if only I could fit a ferris wheel in my backyard… 😉
