SOUTH BEND — Tina Colglaser has been serving up piping hot elephant ears at the St. Joseph County 4-H Fair every year for 34 years as part of her husband’s family business.
“A lot of people don’t butter it anymore, but we still think it’s the right way to do it,” Colglazer said.
Colglazier’s doughy desserts come in two varieties: the $8 elephant ear, dusted with cinnamon or powdered sugar, and the $10 elephant ear, topped with cherry or apple jam.
More fried foods
Elephant ears are one of many fried foods offered at the county fair. Other choices include:
■ Corn Dog
■ Fried Oreo cookies
■ Fresh mozzarella cheese sticks
■ Funnel cake
■ Cheese and curly fries
Get Ready: Everything you need to know about the St. Joseph County 4-H Fair
If you’re looking for something a little more nutritious but don’t want to miss out on the fried foods, try Dr. Vegetable’s fried broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms and zucchini.
Lunch and Dinner Options
For something more substantial, try the food truck Nedderman’s Sirloin, Tips & Steak Place in Mishawaka, which serves sirloin tips and steak dinners and offers roast potatoes and mushrooms to accompany your meat.
Puerto Vallarta, a restaurant with locations in Mishawaka, South Bend, and Plymouth, had a truck that sold traditional Mexican tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tortas, tamales, and nachos. These dishes are served with a variety of meats, including grilled steak, chicken tinga, ground beef, and Mexican sausage. If you like fusion food, they also sell “Dori Burritos” and “Hot Cheetos Burritos,” which are stuffed with rice, beans, and meat and topped with crushed spicy Doritos chips.
Refreshing drinks
The fair offers a variety of cool drinks to beat the summer heat, including classic lemonades and slushies in flavours such as mango, raspberry, pina colada, cherry, lime and strawberry.
Some fair-goers, like Jessica Bishop of Niles, cooled off with bubble teas. She ordered the strawberry bubble tea with rose tapioca pearls at the bottom. Other flavors included mango juice with popping tapioca pearls, vanilla milk tea, mango passion fruit smoothie and chai milk tea with tapioca pearls.
If you need an energy boost, we also offer iced mochas, lattes and flavoured coffee drinks.
Don’t forget dessert
For dessert, enjoy frozen bananas, chocolate-covered strawberries, root beer floats, chocolate-covered cheesecake, and county fair classics like pineapple Dole Whipped soft serve and caramel apples topped with sprinkles, M&Ms, and other treats.
St. Joseph County 4-H Fair
■ Where: St. Joseph County 4-H Fairgrounds, 5117 S. Ironwood Road, South Bend.
■ Opening times: 7am to 11pm every day until July 6th.
■ Cost: Free from 7 to 9 a.m., $5 until closing. Free for children 8 and under, police officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and active military.
■ For more information, call 574-291-4870 or visit 4hfair.com.
