Down-home delicacies at the East Perry County Fair

ALTENBURG, Mo. -- Though it began Friday, just a week after the SEMO District Fair, visitors flock to the East Perry County Fair to satisfy cravings only the "Best Little Fair in the Land" can fulfill.

Standard midway fare such as deep-fried candy bars, caramel apples and crispy corn dogs dot the Altenburg fairgrounds, but it's down-home delicacies like the grilled cheese and porkburgers that keep the mouths of fair faithfuls watering each year.

"We head straight for the fish," said Paula Heinsoth of Jackson.

With good reason.

The fish is deep-fried, crunchy and slightly spicy on the outside, flaky on the inside.

In a community founded by Germans from Saxony in 1839, it's only fitting that a perennial favorite would be the juicy bratwurst grilled year in and year out by Rodney Barber.

For Ryan Hunt, the fair traditions, from seeing familiar faces to the comfort food, brought a sense of nostalgia after returning to his hometown after five years in the military.

"It's like nothing's changed," said Hunt, who is home for two weeks before leaving for Afghanistan.

Heinsoth's favorite aspect of the fair is strolling between the 4-H exhibits, especially the baked goods, she said.

In two large pavilions, local 4-H members displayed everything from award-winning strawberry jam canned by Stephanie Keuhin to an extensive entomology exhibit by Kim Miesner.

The largest crowds, however, gathered at the various trailers, pavilions and stands housing a smorgasbord of fair treats.

Inside the fish house, where the giant fryers make the air sweltering, Greg Krauss described the process of transforming frozen jack salmon, minus the heads, into zesty, golden goodness.

Large basins of water are used to thaw the fish, which are then rolled and tossed in a mix of cornmeal, red pepper, salt and pepper.

After they're thoroughly battered, the fish are loaded into black plastic trays for a seven-minute dip in the hot tub of vegetable oil, where bubbles immediately splash to the surface.

The fish are fried at about 320 degrees, then removed by volunteers to a habitual battle cry of "hot fish!"

The finished fish is then nestled in soft white bread, where the meat can then be plucked off the bone or the spine can simply be slid out, Krauss said.

The stand sold about 3,600 pounds of fish in 2005, the last year of operation because a tornado intefered with the fair in 2006, he said.

Another standout is the porksteak sandwich, sizable hunks of smoky pork meat piled on a hamburger bun, each piece slightly charred and glistening with fat.

At the small, discreet stand operated by members of the Immanuel Lutheran Church, the grilled cheese beckons customers who have made it a fair staple every year.

While the volunteers wouldn't disclose their trade secret, they did let slip that the creamy cheese oozing between the buttery crust was actually pizza cheese, as opposed to standard white American cheese.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

Aspen Welker, 3, watched from the side of the road as the Perryville marching band made its way down the parade route Friday during the East Perry County Fair parade in Altenburg, Mo. (AARON EISEHAUER ~ aeisenhauer@semissourian.com)

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