Rhonda and I were in line Saturday morning at the entrance to the fairgrounds, studying a map and plotting our strategy.

I love the Arizona State Fair. I think about how for years, I went with my dad, whose motto was, “If it moves, ride it; if it’s on a stick, eat it.” Later, I would take my son and, if it moved, we rode it, and if it was on a stick, we ate it.

The fair was canceled this year, but we were able to drive through and choose from our favorite fair foods. I wondered: Would food on a stick sell as well this way?

“It’s better than nothing,” Rhonda said.

The cars inched forward. At the entrance, a woman explained how it worked.

We skipped Enzo’s Pizza, where cars lined up for Flaming Hot Cheetos pizza and pulled in for kettle corn, three big bags of it.

At Fried-A-Fair, we ordered a wedge of deep-fried cheesecake. I took just one bite because I was holding out.

At Teepee Village Frybread, I ordered. I savored the crispy frybread covered in beans and cheese, passed it to Rhonda and took it back.

We passed the kiddie Ferris wheel, which had big stuffed animals in the seats, and looked at the other rides, empty and still.

I spotted Wanell Costello, executive director of the fair.

That day, she’d tell me later, vendors would sell 1,362 turkey legs, 1,069 corn dogs and 840 funnel cakes, including the one Rhonda ordered for her mom at Dutchmen’s Funnel Cake.

That’s more than they’d sell on a typical Saturday during the fair, when fairgoers would consume 1,030 turkey legs, 550 corn dogs and 500 funnel cakes.

The event was so popular Wanell will open on Thursday this week and extend it through Oct. 11.

We couldn’t ride rides or wander the exhibit halls, but we got a taste of the state fair.

It was better than nothing.

Reach Karina Bland at [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter @KarinaBland.

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