You’d be forgiven for assuming that The State Fair of Louisiana is a festival of Cajun and Creole cookery. Yes, a few representatives from the southern bayous will be served, but take note that the fair is held in Shreveport, in the northwest corner of the state, near Arkansas and Texas. Note, as well, that musical performances will include David Allan Coe, if that means anything to you (if not, and you’re interested, Google his name with the word underground). In other words, this fair is more redneck than Cajun.

We're fans of state fair cooking contests. Lousiana will feature a pecan cookery competition.

We’re fans of state fair cooking contests. Louisiana will feature a pecan cookery competition.

OK, we hear you: “This is Louisiana and, dammit, I’m gonna get me something Cajun to eat!”. You could do a lot worse downstate than the state fair’s boudin stuffed with crab and crawdads. This fair favorite is supplemented with a generous kick of heat as well. Want to keep the heat and flavor quotient high? Try the thing they call “The World’s Greatest Stuffed Pepper,” which starts with smoked chicken and cheese wrapped in bacon. This gets stuffed into a jalapeño, and the whole package gets dunked in boiling oil. Subtle it’s not.

Deep-fried cookie dough on a stick?!

Deep-fried cookie dough on a stick?!

You’ll find Southern-fried frogs legs, cornbread studded with andouille, and an alligator hash as well. We also like the looks of the slow-cooked giant pork chops. Prefer to go the traditional state fair route of novelty eats? How does deep-fried taffy sound? Or deep-fried cookie dough on a stick? We’ll pass on the pizza topped with your choice of mealworms, scorpions, or crickets!

Cricket pizza, anyone?

Cricket pizza, anyone? Be sure to ask for extra crickets.

There are rodeos this Friday and Saturday, the 23rd and 24th, plenty of concerts, emu racing, horse shows, escape artists… and much, much more. We’re partial to the agricultural and farmy exhibits. The hay bailing competition is just our speed. So are the cooking competitions, in the categories of beef stew, Mexican beef dishes, bar-b-que chicken, and pecan cookery. Of course, there’ll be a midway with all the rides and arcade games you can handle. See the fair website for all the details.