Yabba Dabba Doo

While in Tennessee, the kids took us to see the State Fair in Nashville.

The weather was hot, and the baby was a bit restless, but it was a typical state fair, with all the trimmings: rides, games, lots of overpriced food...like $8 for a hot dog and $2.50 for a soda:

And the animals:

I guess you could say it was a "Mmmmoooooo-ving" experience (pun intended.)

And more sightseeing was in order in Nashville.  No, we didn't go to Greece...but downtown has its own Parthenon - in Centennial Park. 

Per Wikipedia: Nashville's moniker, the "Athens of the South", influenced the choice of the building as the centerpiece of the 1897 Centennial Exposition. A number of buildings at the Exposition were based on ancient originals, however the Parthenon was the only one that was an exact reproduction. It was also the only one that was preserved by the city,.

Major Eugene Castner Lewis was the director of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition and it was at his suggestion that a reproduction of the Parthenon be built in Nashville to serve as the centerpiece of Tennessee’s Centennial Celebration. Lewis also served as the chief civil engineer for the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad. Originally built of plaster, wood, and brick, the Parthenon was not intended to be permanent, but the cost of demolishing the structure combined with its popularity with residents and visitors alike resulted in it being left standing after the Exposition. In 1895 George Julian Zolnay was "employed to make models for the ornamentation" for the building. Within the next 20 years, weather had defaced the landmark; it was then rebuilt on the same foundations, in concrete, in a project that started in 1920; the exterior was completed in 1925 and the interior in 1931.

Some of the most elaborate events that occurred at the Parthenon were the Spring Pageants of 1913 and 1914. These extravaganzas were theatrical productions on a massive scale. With casts of up to 500, the Pageants brought in audiences from surroundings states and rail prices were lowered to encourage attendance. The entire city of Nashville reveled in the opportunity to celebrate the "Athens of the South."

A fabulous re-creation!

On the way back to Maryland, we stopped in the small town of Lexington, VA.  Here we located the "Fred Flintstone era" foot-powered car...   And with higher gas prices from the hurricane, that might be the wave of the future!   Plus, no need for factory air conditioning...

Yabba dabba doo to you too!

It sure was a fun trip...

Mandy