A Taste Of The Fair Coming To Junior Livestock Show

The Tulsa State Fair may be canceled, but if you're hankering for fair food, you'll get the chance to enjoy some at the Junior Livestock Shows.

Click here to visit our special 'State Fair Stories' web page.

For more than 20 years, Karen Jencks has looked forward to the fair and setting up her food trailer to serve customers.

"You get that little wave of it being chilly, the leaves start falling off the trees, and you're like I'm ready to get a funnel cake, or I'm ready to get my candy apple or corn dog, or take in a concert and drink some hot chocolate," Jencks said.

But this year will be different. She and seven other vendors will get the chance to fix fair food, but on a small scale during the Junior Livestock Show.

The pandemic has hit many vendors hard this year.

"When you have no business at all, I mean nothing, it really is eye-opening and crudely awakening because it's over night," said Jencks. "It wasn't like you saw this coming; it's tough."

Jencks has had her trailer set-up at Safari Joe's H2O this summer, serving people chicken-on-a-stick, cheese-on-a-stick, and corn dogs. She'll be open for business during the Junior Livestock shows, but if you can't make it to the fairgrounds, how about making a funnel cake at home? There are kits you can buy at the store, or online, with everything you need. In minutes, the batter turns into a delicious funnel cake, topped with powdered sugar!

Vendors setting up at Junior Livestock show said it will be safety first. They'll be wearing masks, sanitizing everything, and keeping a safe space from customers.

"It's safe distancing through the window, and we don't do any hand-to-mouth contact with the food. The food's always wrapped up with wax paper and napkin, and no refills," Jencks said.

She and her team are hopeful about the future and look forward to the Tulsa State Fair and 11 Days of Fun and food in 2021.

"That's what we do as Okies; we're very resilient," said Jencks. "We'll bounce back, and it will be great again. Everybody will have their fair back, and it will be just like normal. It's going to take a little time. We just have to be patient."

Click the link below to check out a complete list of the food vendors who will be set up during the Junior Livestock show & where you can find them: https://www.tulsastatefair.com/2020fair