IF YOU CAN EAT IT, IT MOST LIKELY COMES ON A STICK AT SEMO FAIR

The SEMO District Fair has food that sticks with you.

From corn dogs to chocolate-dipped cheesecake, there is plenty of food-on-a-stick for sale.

One concession stand features steak on a stick. Another has pork on a stick.

The fair has its share of shish kebabs.

In all, the fair has 51 food stands. There is plenty to quench a thirst too, from soft drinks to lemon shake-ups.

The fair got into full swing Monday with a parade from Capaha to Arena Park where the annual attraction is playing. It runs through Saturday night.

Tony Ploude of New York spent Monday selling steak-on-a-stick, corn dogs and other fair food. Ploude said food on sticks is popular fare for fairgoers.

At a fair in Milwaukee, there were 15 food times that could be bought on sticks. "They had gator on a stick." he said. Pickles on sticks also could be found.

Ploude has sold fair food around the country for 21 years.

At the SEMO District Fair, corn dogs remain a popular item. Ploude's stand sells a foot-long version as well as the smaller, regular size.

Carmel apples come on sticks. For $2.50, fairgoers can get carmel apples covered with sprinkles.

Mike Swank works at a concession stand operated by a Grand Rapids, Mich., company. Swank said the operation goes through one to five bushels of apples a day during fair week.

"Cool weather is better for us," he said. "If it's hot and sticky, we're not going to sell much."

Lonnie and Wendy English of Herod, Ill., manned their concession stand in front of the A.C. Brase Arena Monday. Among other things, they sell chocolate-covered frozen bananas.

"We have had them two or three years,' said Lonnie English.

He said the frozen treats don't melt like ice cream. "It stays put until you're done eating, not to mention you get all the potassium in one day."

They also sell funnel cakes. "Everybody likes funnel cake," he said as his wife dispensed the batter through a funnel.

Wendy English said it takes a consistent batter and lots of hot oil to cook a good funnel cake.

The Nutty Bar is a popular treat at Beasley's Concessions.

LaRhonda and Keith Beasley of Marion, Ill., sell the cold treat. The Nutty Bar is vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts.

"It's a twist of the hand and a dip of the chocolate," said Keith Beasley, demonstrating the fine art of making the ice-cream-on-a-stick treat.

LaRhonda Beasley said they have been selling Nutty Bars at the fair for four years. "We do it special for the SEMO District Fair," she said.

Keith Beasley said fair food comes on a variety of sticks. There are corn dog sticks, apple sticks, Nutty Bar sticks.

My Daddy's Cheesecake store in Cape Girardeau is selling chocolate-dipped cheesecake on a stick at the fair.

But not everything eatable comes on a stick.

Fairgoers can buy everything from taffy to turkey legs and tators. There are zesty nachos and cool snow cones.

Bags of blue and pink cotton candy continue to be fair favorites. "It goes over pretty good," said Floridian Susan Riley as she filled a bag with cotton candy.

At the Trinity Lutheran Men's Club shelter, fairgoers won't find any meal-on-a-stick. They will find everything from chili dogs to bratwurst sandwiches.

Food is one of the main attractions of the district fair. "That's mainly what it is all about," said Don Huey, who has helped man the fair stand for about 30 years.

The booth is the only one that serves breakfast as well as its regular sandwich fare.

During 1998 fair week, the Trinity Lutheran fair stand used 93 dozen eggs, 90 pounds of pancake mix, 180 pounds of sausage, 850 pounds of hamburger meat to make 5,100 hamburgers and cheeseburgers, 650 hot dogs, 400 Polish sausages, 123 pounds of bratwurst, 48 pounds of ham, 46 gallons of chili, 288 bottles of water and 144 bottles of orange juice.

Grace United Methodist Church sells fish at its fair stand.

The church's Susan McClanahan said they expect to sell 1,350 pounds of fish, 400 to 500 pounds of hamburgers and 900 to 1,000 pounds of French fries.

FAIR SCHEDULE

TODAYLivestock arrival day5:30 p.m. -- Baby girls contest6 p.m. -- Time capsule ceremony7 p.m. -- Tractor pull

WEDNESDAY10 a.m. -- Senior activities1 p.m. -- Senior hitch challenge2 p.m. -- All Stars Band5:30 p.m. -- Baby boys contest7 p.m. -- Truck pullTHURSDAYNoon -- Tractor rodeo4: 30 p.m. -- Livestock sale6 p.m. -- Classy Chassy Country8 p.m. -- Terri ClarkFRIDAY10 a.m. -- Youth activities5 p.m. -- Gymnastics6:15 p.m. -- Smile contest6:30 p.m. -- Saw contest7 p.m. -- Square dancers8 p.m. -- Billy Ray CyrusSATURDAY8 a.m. -- Antique tractor pull8:30 a.m. -- Public speaking contest10 a.m. -- Recipe contest10:30 a.m. -- Livestock parade11:30 a.m. -- Quarter scramble1 p.m. -- Poultry, rabbit dress-up contest2 p.m. -- Fiddlers contest2 p.m. -- Pee wee showmanship3 p.m. -- Ag adventure4 p.m. -- Pedal tractor pull4:30 p.m. -- Country and western dancing6 p.m. -- Desert Rain Band8 p.m. -- Waylon Jennings