Foods you'll only find in the summer ....

... at the State Fair:

pork chop on a stick

deep fried pickle on a stick

spaghetti on a stick

bacon on a stick

You get the idea. But regardless of the enticements of "on a stick" items, I usually stick to 2 stand-bys at the State Fair: roasted corn (dunked in a vat of butter -- seriously. Dunked, held there, then handed to you with Nature's 'stick' -- the cob) and onion rings.

"Onion rings?" I hear you ask. "How prosaic!"

No, no. These are not just onion rings. These are ONION RINGS. These are "melt in your mouth, batter is perfect, so hot they hurt but oh so good" ONION RINGS. This particular company only sells them at the State Fair -- you can't get them anywhere else in town. So for the "Best 12 Days of Summer" you have a chance to experience this delight.

Oh, I love the Pronto Pups (on a stick), the corn fritters, the Tom Thumb mini-donuts, and the funnel cakes. I like the walleye fingers, cheese curds and cream puffs. The elk burgers, moose knuckles, and strawberry shortcake are also favorites. But give me those onion rings and that corn -- THAT spells summer to me.