County fairs, with animals and cheap rides and fried dough? Meh. But what if you added... irony? That would make something worth having, in Denver! I mean, just to pick a paragraph of this story at random:

There's a heavy dose of irony, too. Denver County Fair contests include a molded-gelatin competition and a mustache contest. A John Denver impersonator led a group "Rocky Mountain High" sing-along to open the fair. A "freak show" area includes a bearded lady, a tattooed glass-blower and other throwback spectacles. The group Devo, the 1970s and '80s group behind the song "Whip It," will perform, along with a cover band for The B-52s.

Twenty years from now, Denver residents who are 12 years old right now will organize a staunchly traditional County Fair at which an elderly Garth Brooks will perform a medley of classic patriotic American tunes. With a total lack of irony. Just you wait.