MY BOGGY BLOG: find your way through the murk

The Fair's Fair

Yesterday marked my Third trip to the Minnesota State Fair this year. Usually I go just once, with DH and kids, maybe twice if DH and I can get away for a "date." But this year I went last Saturday with a group of Betsy-Tacy fans (we're friends from a listserv, and two people flew in from other states to go to the fair for the first time). It was interesting to go with a new bunch of people, to see what are other people's fave things to do there, to introduce newbies to the fair experience. We went on the Olde Mill ride, the very mellow rowboat down dark tunnels/lover's lane/silly displays ride, which I haven't been on since DH and I were young and in love/before kids. We went through the animal barns... which we used to do when the kids were little and into animals. We showed the newbies the biggest pig (1200-some pounds), the big mama pig nursing her babies, goats, sheep and assorted cows. We wandered all over and for some reason, ate lots of fish (walleye fingers, walleye on a stick, walleye-cakes, salmon) and other fried foods. And we took the Sky Glider ride, which is like a ski lift that takes you from one end of the fair and back again, slowly with your feet dangling. Me and my partner (one of the newbies) quickly discovered our fear of heights heightened (for me, the feet dangling made my legs and stomach feel whoozy), and the ride took forever and left us panicking. We had, however, bought round-trip tickets, so we knew we'd have to ride back. After we walked around awhile, we paired up with different (calmer) partners and I used mind-control to calm myself down and wiggle my legs so I wouldn't feel so afraid. It helped that we could look down on a motorcycle-parade going on under us, a good distraction.

The second trip to the fair was Monday night, when DH and I went after dinner, just a quick trip to go see a free concert. Brandi Carlile, a folk singer who opened for the Indigo Girls last summer at the zoo, was performing. It was totally packed and we were lucky to get a bench in the back where we couldn't see a things. We could hear though (despite the annoying people behind us who kept talking, things like, "Is this the song I've heard on the radio?" "I don't think it is." "It might be." Etc. At the start of every song, until when Brandi finally sang her most popular song, "The Story," I wanted to turn around and shout, "Yes, THIS is the EFFing song, so shut the F up!" Why go to a concert and talk through the songs, even if it is free? Brandi played for 90 minutes, so it was definitely worth the $8 admission price to the fair! We were there late enough to see the fireworks, too, which was fun. There are fireworks every night of the 12-day fair.

Then yesterday we went again, Dh and I with the two boys (DD didn't really want to go this year). Actually, the 13 year old went in the morning with 2 friends, dropped off by another parent. They had a blast and enjoyed their freedom, and by the time the friends left, the rest of us arrived and so DS met up with us then (he was out of money, so he was happy to see us!). We spent about 5 hours wandering around, going to see the art building (a favorite of us adults), the Eco building, the educationa and creative activities buildings. We shopped around the newly revamped and spiffy International Market (which used to be rather seedy and crowded, maybe like going to Mexico), ran into some friends and chatted, ate even more fried and non-fried food, and even sampled the Pig Lickers-- chocolate covered bacon (me and one DS liked, DH and other DS didn't). We topped the day off with a big bucket of Sweet Martha's cookies and milk from the All-You-Can-Drink Milk booth.

We were relieved to get a seat on the shuttle bus that would take us back to the park-and-ride lot, where we hobbled to our car, tired and full and Fairly Happy!