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Sunday, September 28, 1997

A pregnant person's guide to the fair

EDITORS' NOTE: Reporter Melissa Williams, whose baby is due in December, offers this guide to the State Fair.

By MELISSA WILLIAMS / Associated Press Writer

DALLAS (AP) -- Michelle Byrd of Beaumont wasn't letting a little thing like pregnancy -- even eight months' worth -- limit her refreshment options at the State Fair of Texas.

"No, that's the best thing about the fair: a corn dog and lemonade," she told me, pausing midway through the mustard-squiggled evidence as her husband, country singer Tracy Byrd, stood by watching their 3-year-old daughter. "Got to start 'em out right, at the fair."

When you think about it, the fair is perfect for the pregnant. Who else but us gets such a thrill from eating and walking around? And there are plenty of cool and shady places to rest and watch a show.

New this year is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's "Big Shoe Revue" clown show. Fair spokeswoman Nancy Wiley says if the weather is as good this year as it has been the past two years, overall attendance should again top 3.5 million -- an average of nearly 150,000 people every day for 24 days.

Ambling -- don't dare call it waddling -- through the crowds are sure to be plenty of women expecting blessed events in the upcoming months. On the fair's gorgeous opening day Friday, their numbers included LaTricia Willis, who brought along her sister, Tiffany Hamilton, to stand in the coupon and food lines. After morning snacks of caramel apples and Caribbean beef patties, their lunchtime objective in the Food Pavilion was sausage-on-a-stick.

"I'm looking for stuff that I generally don't eat," admitted Ms. Willis, resting at a picnic bench in the Food Pavilion. "Things I can only get at the state fair."

She says her baby is due Monday, Sept. 29, but doesn't seem worried about meeting the same fate as Erica Vann, the woman who delivered a son on the midway in October 1995. Baby Diante Thomas arrived with paramedics' help and cheering crowds while his father and brother were riding the nearby Space Loop.

It was a historic event, the fair spokeswoman recalled.

"That's the first time anyone can remember that we increased our attendance in that fashion," Ms. Wiley said.

She and the pregnant women I talked to offered similar hints to make visiting the fair pleasant and comfortable for anyone not in optimum hiking condition. Wear tennis shoes and something cool. Drink plenty of water. And keep an eye out for those restroom signs that seem to be everywhere until the hour of need.

Here are a few more observations from my own State Fair experience at six months along:

-- The best bathrooms are in the Embarcadero building near the Texas Hall of State. They're airy, clean, newly refurbished and located conveniently near one of the few places at the fair where you can buy funnel cakes. Avoid restrooms in and near the animal barns. Some are so small as to induce claustrophobia and too near the smells of nature for comfort. The llamas, goats and piglets are cute, though.

-- If you walk down the midway, know that a barker at a weight-guessing booth will yell, "Come on, Mama" at you.

-- For healthful snacks, head for the Food and Fiber Pavilion, where growers of Texas products from pine cones to honey brag on their wares. Although not everybody hands out samples -- I lingered in vain by the watermelon booth -- lots of people do, including Margie Whitehead of the Southwestern Dairy Museum, who skewers more than a ton of cheddar, Swiss and mozzarella cubes during the fair's run. Around the corner, D.J. Young at the Texas Citrus booth pours samples of grapefruit juice at designated times. Other noshables include ostrich jerky and salsa.

-- Secret sanctuary: Nimitz Court, a shady nook between the Food & Fiber Pavilion and Pan American Arena. It features several shady picnic tables, a fudge booth, and free samples of cold cereal, water and chewable antacids. A marionette show starts up several times daily. Also, the Kinder Corner near the Hall of State is a tent with benches, a baby-changing area, free drinking water and a place to nurse an infant.

-- The IMAX theater has cushy seats, air conditioning and great shows -- almost, but not quite, enough to lure me to the Science Place building on the other side of the lagoon. The free "featurette" presentations might be worth the walk if you go before you're tuckered out.

-- Cool breezes and incredible views made me glad I climbed aboard the Texas Star, the Western Hemisphere's tallest Ferris wheel. But I'd give a wide berth to the roller coasters, spinning teacups and other gut-wrenchers.

-- The Food Pavilion has a variety of choices you don't see at the outdoor stands. Among them are cherry strudel, Greek dishes, tamales, quesadillas and shaved ice. At the Owens Sausage booth, you can even get pickles and ice cream at the same place.