The only way to know if you like a wine is to taste it, especially when it comes to mead. Yes, that's wine made from honey. It's one of the oldest forms of wine and for years most of it was sweet. Local producers New Day Craft changed that. They've been making delicious dry style mead for a decade. Recently they added hard cider to their lineup. Here again is another form of fermented beverage that can range in style from sweet to dry. This weekend the City hosts its first festival dedicated to deciphering these ancient beverages. "Meadful Things and Outciders" takes place Saturday, September 3rd from 2-5pm (VIP tickets get you in at 1pm.) at the Circle City Industrial Complex, 1125 Brookside Drive. It's that big blue building just off of Mass Ave and 10th street, a 15 minute drive down College from Broad Ripple.

A ticket lets you sample over 110 different styles of mead and cider from all over the world. Food trucks, music and adoptable dogs and cats from FACE Low Cost Spay and Neutering too as the event raises money for that active organization. Tickets MUST be purchased in advance. www.newdaycraft.com.

I haven't quite achieved the State Fair frequent visitor miles of our wonderful Nora Spitznogle ( I did run into her on the last day while watching the Tractor Parade) but I did make it to 7 of the 21 days. I adored the Lego exhibit of a working farm, laughed at the Swashchucklers show, tapped my toes to Taiko Drum Project, found the Cheese Sculpture a rather dull chunk of celebration but at least it didn't smell as if it was 200 years old. I admired the talents of the young and old who entered the often overlooked photography, painting and sewing exhibits, strolled through the Hook's Drugstore Museum for the first time in 40 years, and delighted in the history, speed and class of the Harness Racing. The Midway and food were satisfying for both the eyes and the palate but for me, the highlight of the fair were the Percheron, Draft and Clydesdale shows and the Bacon Brothers performance on the Free Stage.

Power, finesse, audience interaction and sheer pleasure would be how I would describe BOTH.

Those massive horses amazed me with their ability to demonstrate strength, agility and grace in their competitive routines in the Coliseum.

I've had a crush on Kevin Bacon since I saw him in "Diner". He and his musically gifted brother Michael and a band of New York and Jersey musicians put on a rollicking two hour performance in the rain. Kevin sings as well as he acts, and the Bacon Brothers delivered a satisfying show.

So did the Budweiser Clydesdales, who had more security than the Bacon Brothers, and an equally impressive tour bus.