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A 2021 drone view of The Big E (Photo: The Big E)

The weather didn't need to be perfect. In fact, bad weather would probably be better. I've been there when the weather has been bad and, let's face it, throw a raincoat on and enjoy the day.

When the target is tasty treats from six different states, smaller crowds would be desired. Then there are no line.

The Big E -- the colloquial name for the fair known as The Eastern States Exposition -- is going on now near Springfield, MA.

It's something that I've been going to since the early 1990s. Obviously that continued once Sean came along. 

Then we went into a stretch of several years where we didn't go before Sean and I decided to go back a year ago.

Today, we added my sister to the car and were on the road early this morning.

We decided we wanted to avoid the bigger crowds so opting for a Thursday morning was smart. At least we thought so.

My sister and I learned from the best -- our dad. He preached being on the road early and, when possible, standing outside your destination before they open.

We didn't quite pull that off thanks to some construction and traffic volume but we still walked in just after 10 and the crowds were manageable.

Everyone has their own goals when attending such a thing. For Sean, it was food and rides years ago. For others, it is the animals or the entertainment or the crafts and vendors.

For me -- at The Big E -- it's all of that but most of all, it's the Avenue of States, featuring wares from each of the New England states.

That's where the food can be at its best. As a group, we found blueberry pie in New Hampshire, maple candy cones in Vermont, basked potatoes in Maine, Del's lemonade in Rhode Island, lobster rolls in Massachusetts, and pizza in Connecticut. To be clear, we did not eat all of those.

Plus beer. But, no, we did not drink our way across the states.

Still, that's just a small sample. There were cider donuts and whoopie pies and incredible maple fried dough and a lot more.

Yes, maple fried dough. And it was incredible, though I've mentioned that already.

Since each state's house is owned by the jurisdiction and patrolled by their police, you can buy lottery tickets as well. So, yeah, there's a feeling that you've stepped into each of the New England states.

Given that it's, you know, a fair, there are plenty of other food and drink options all over the park. Plus the rides and everything else.

Essentially, it's something for everyone.

It's a good day that leads to sore feet and plenty of exhaustion.

The weather sort of worked in our favor. It was cloudy when we got there but the sun did eventually come out. The crowd was reasonable and parking wasn't an issue when we arrived.

On the way out, the attendance was spiking and parking was filling up. Obviously, weekends are much worse.

Laura and I reminded ourselves of the Dutchess County Fair in New York which we both visited when we were younger. It's been a few years and it's probably time to get back there. We'll put that on the list for 2024.

But The Big E dwarfs any fair I've been to.

Given our plan was to try to avoid crowds and traffic we were pretty pleased to be on the road before rush hour and cruised back to Laura's place.

Sean and I went home not long after that.

Dinner isn't necessary tonight and we didn't eat everything we were intrigued by, knowing when to say when.

We all agreed we'd do it again next year.

It's an easy drive and a fun day.

That's enough for me.