Hot off the grill at the fair

Whether your guilty pleasure is cinnamon rolls, turkey legs, Chinese barbecue, bacon cheeseburgers or ice cream cones, the Yuma County Fair has a plate that will get any stomach rumbling.

Crowds from all over the county could be seen strolling through the fairways, seemingly aimless, until their noses led them to their favorite food.

Anne Dennis is a fair attendee who was waiting patiently for her family, water in hand, as they made their way through The Haunted House.

When questioned on her favorite food at the fair this year, Dennis answered almost immediately: “Chili and cheese tortillas. My granddaughter loved it, my daughter loved it, so it was really good.”

Other favorites among the crowd included tri-tip, kettle corn and, of course, the cinnamon rolls.

Jeff Perkhurst, a worker at Old West Cinnamon Rolls, agreed that the treat is a popular one at the fair and claimed that the sales become hard to count as the day goes by.

“It's hard to keep track, maybe a few hundred” rolls are sold each day, Perkhurst said. “They are delicious so that doesn't surprise me that so many people like them.”

As proof of the cinnamon rolls' popularity, Ashley Seale, a guest who was waiting in line for her cinnamon roll, admitted that she was ordering them “to go” because her mother at home wanted them.

Another fair staple is roasted ears of corn with all of the trimmings.

Rhonda Almaraz runs the booth and said that Yumans seem to enjoy the Mexican-grown corn sold at the booth. “I've gone through 20 cases. It just depends on which day it is.”

Stacey Cook, a fair patron, said the corn was a fresh treat and she loved the fact that the customer is able to choose between so many condiments.

“It's good, it's fresh. It's very rare that you can get fresh-roasted corn and it still has flavor, it's not dry,” Cook said. “It's really warm and moist, that's my favorite part.”

Johnny Rico of the Yuma Rotary Club checked on the tri-tip and Kammann sausage that the organization was preparing.

“Yesterday we cooked about 600 pounds of tri-tip and we'll probably match that (Wednesday),” Rico said.

Rico said the best deal was the combination plate that offers two meats, cole slaw, beans, bread and a drink for $9.

The booth crowd has been “pretty steady” so far, he said, and the crowds in general have been comparable to earlier years.