Chugga Chugga to the Ekka!

I was a nervous wreck on Sunday morning as I prepped for the Ekka (which is some kind of short form of "Exhibition"). What to wear, what to pack, how to get there? I'd been told there would be masses of people at the Showgrounds. The Queensland tradition includes fair rides, animals on show, edible and wearable goods for sale, fairy floss (cotton candy), dagwood dogs (corn dogs), and the iconic Ekka Strawberry Sundae (left). It tastes a lot better than it looks. Also -- the $5 bag of cotton candy may not look like much next to the $10 bucket, but once you get it home, it's more than enough sugar.


When Jody and I finally got to the train station, the railway staff were very helpful. We were finally on our way, and the wait was worth it... we got to ride on a steam train! My Grampa loves steam trains, and my Grampa is awesome, so I love steam trains too :)

My beginner hip hop class was performing on one of the stages, and although I was sure the crowd would be friendly, we'd only been learning the two routines for three weeks. The emcee called our group to the stage 10 minutes early, so we missed the essential walk-through before going on. Eeeek! I fumbled a couple of steps and turned the wrong way once, but I wasn't the only one. I'm still glad I got up there, and overall, our group looked pretty good.

We started out old-school with Run DMC's "It's Like That," then continued with T-Pain. I was a bit shocked that the audience got into it - some of the crowd squealed when they heard, "Turn all the lights on!"

In case you don't believe me... I'm in the black hoodie and shiny pants :)