The caramel apple was easy enough to get — what's $4 at a carnival? — but the giant banana? That was elusive.

"We spent $60 trying to get the banana," lamented Leolani Pias, 31, of Kapolei.

Pias and her daughter Anela, 9, were contemplating another run at the oversized stuffed toy, the prize for successfully tossing a softball into a milk can, as humid day turned to humid twilight at the 50th State Fair yesterday.

The fair entered its second week at Aloha Stadium under less-than-ideal conditions: a temperature of 92 degrees at Honolulu airport and a "real feel" heat index of 96 degrees. Yet that didn't deter thousands of residents and tourists from crowding the Aloha Stadium grounds for the annual event.

The Piases took advantage of yesterday's Pepsi Day promotion to purchase discounted wristbands good for unlimited rides from noon to 6 p.m.

Leolani Pias made sure she and her daughter rode the Music Express, a favorite from her own small-kid time.

"It was great to watch her ride it," Pias said. "But it doesn't go backwards anymore!"

Taquisha Sims, 25, of 'Aiea, came to the fair with companion Edward Gates, 25, as part of her ongoing birthday week celebrations.

The New Orleans native said she wasn't about to let the heat and humidity deter her from earning her bounty of plush prizes.

Sims drew on her inner Denny Hamlin to guide her own No. 11 race car to victory in the Bob's Space Race game. Afterward, Sims improvised a most creative victory dance while her pint-sized competitors slinked away.

"I was just showing off because I beat all those little kids," she said, laughing.

Sims earned a bear for the win, but, like the Piases, she wasn't about to leave without a giant banana, maybe even a turquoise bear.

A few stalls down, Kalina Camberos, 16, of 'Ewa Beach, was handing out stuffed Keroppi dolls to anyone lucky enough or skilled enough to toss a whiffle ball into a clown's mouth.

For Camberos, the fun and games are a way to provide for her 3-month-old baby, Tahiena.

"I want to bring her here when she gets older," Camberos said.

Raquel McNamara, 35, of Kapahulu, tried out the new Dragon Coaster with her 5-year-old twin nieces Pele and Pili. The twins loved it.

McNamara?

"I think I'm sick," she said.

Still, McNamara made the most of her day, joining her sister and nieces on a half-dozen rides and $100 worth of games.

"This is it," McNamara said, wobbling away from the Dragon Coaster. "The day is done."

Others fatigued in body or wallet made their way to the shady environs of the Ag-Venture Land, which featured several low-tech, low-cost amusements with an agricultural theme. There, kids rode pedal tractors, drummed on old tractor parts, romped in bins of beans or corn, or tried their hand at "milking" Betsy the pre-fab cow.

And, of course, there was the Super Dooper Pooper Scooper Station, which invited kids to "see how fun it can be to clean this pen!"

Unfortunately, not every child was feeling the pastoral vibe.

One spent a good 20 minutes beating the stuffed pony with a shovel and trying to bury the stuffed baby deer in hay.

The fair continues each weekend through June 21.