Day 1 at the Fair

This was my favorite photo of the day--four barely adolescent boys sitting on a bench, holding these bananas they had won at the fair. They were willing to let me take their pic...I didn't tell them I was posting it for the world to see! Lots of bananas walking around the fair...

This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the grandstand. I was less than thrilled to see a huge Wal-mart sign posted on the side of the grandstand...yuk...obviously they gave money for something.

Gotta check out the Seed Art...always displayed in the Ag bldg in the middle of the fairgrounds.

One of my favorite fair treats...warm scones with fruit and cream cheese topping from French Meadow Bakery. It was the first food I looked for this year and initially I was disappointed to see them gone from their usual spot in the Food Bldg...then I spied them outside in their very own (and very lovely) building. They serve all kinds of coffee drinks too!

The Skyride

Joel & I outside the Fine Arts bldg. There is always a wonderful exhibit of art by MN artists in the Fine Arts building...always one of my first stops.

Hey, I didn't find these...who was handing them out? I want one! Mauer on a stick!

It was early in the day and these two were tuckered out! They had a great place for a nap though!


Other Fair tips/tidbits:

• Metro transit has apparrently lost the contract for providing the service for all the free/low-cost bus shuttles to the fair. The good part of this is the service is now being provided by more comfy coach buses. On the bad side: there are fewer buses, fewer seats and these buses were not built for standing passengers!
• The Fair coupon book for $5 is a good deal. It can be purchased at the State Fair gift shop or several kiosks across the fairgrounds. (Next year buy it before the fair for a discount! I did!)
• The best deal on pop at the fair is to buy a reusable State Fair cup, available at several vendors, for $5. Refills are then $1-1.25. And you can bring the cup back on subsequent visits to the fair (or even the next year like we did!)
• What Not to Wear would have a field day at the Fair...but I say wear comfortable clothes and shoes. And definitely pants with pockets for your cell phone!
  

It's time---

for the Great Minnesota Get-Together! Here are some of my favorite pics from previous years. I'm off to take in Day 1 of 2009 and take more great photos!

See you at the Fair!

State Fair Trip #1

It was a good first day at the Fair...a little warm and humid, but the breeze helped keep things from being unbearable. We got to the fairgrounds around 10 am and stayed till 6:30 pm--over 8 hours at the fair! We were exhausted when we got home!

We enjoyed some of our favorite treats--pork chops on a stick, malts from the Empire Commons bldg (frequently referred to as the "Dairy Bldg"), shaved ice, mini donuts and of course, a foot long corn dog. I'm looking forward to my next trip to enjoy some treats I skipped the first day.

We made the full circle of the grounds, probably more than once. We made quick trips through the Fine Arts, Creative Activities, Horticulture and Education buildings...planning to return for longer visits when the weather is a little cooler. Somehow Joel convinced me to ride on the Sky Glider again this year...it left me a little queasy at the beginning, but you do get great pictures from up there (which I will be uploading soon).

The International Bazaar has been rebuilt...and looked awesome. The Twins tent moved to a better location...close to the International Bazaar and next to the FSN North tent.

Even though I'm fighting a cold, we're planning Trip #2 for tomorrow. We'll be taking my mom and Joel's daughter along with us. This won't be a 8 hour trip, but it should be a great day nonetheless.

Tomorrow, tomorrow...I love you, tomorrow...

Tomorrow's the BIG day: the first day of the Great Minnesota Get-Together; also known as the STATE FAIR. I have purchased oodles of discount tickets, as well as 2 coupon books. My camera has been cleared of all old photos and its battery has been charged. I am ready to go.

I am a bit concerned that I have a bit of a sore throat, but I think that can be attributed to the screaming I did at the ballgame today (Twins win 3-2, but those dreaded White Sox continue to win as well).

Hopefully, I'll fall asleep quickly tonight, so that we can head out fairly early tomorrow (9 am?). I already know what our first stop at the fair will be: pork chop on a stick.

Yum!

Fair Time

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Anyone who knows me, knows that I live for the fair! And it's almost Fair time!

The Fair opens on Thursday, August 21...and rain or shine, Joel and me will be there!

Just to help get you in the mood, here's a montage of photos from our visits (I think 5 trips) from last year.

Oh, and I found a blog of a bigger Fair fanatic...check it out at www.myprontopup.com.

One final trip to the fair

Today Joel and I celebrated our 3-month anniversary by making one more trip to the State Fair. Believe it or not, this is the first time I've gone to the Fair on the final day--Labor Day. It was my fourth trip this year. Hey, Joel went six times (he went one day to get some baseball autographs and another day with his daughter). We had Bree along today as well.

So in 4 trips to the fair, I consumed--

3 porkchops & 1 chicken breast (all on a stick)
4 malts (1 chocolate and 3 blackberry, my new favorite)
2 corndogs
1 bag of mini-donuts
2 shaved ice
1 scone with fruit
1 chocolate cream puff
1 gelato
1 cashew nut roll
slice of pizza
frozen mocha on a stick
1 order of french fries (shared with Joel)
lots of diet coke
Kashi cereal (they had a travelling exhibit at the start of the fair)
and I'm sure plenty of bites of some other things Joel tried (like corn on the cob, yum!)

I also walked countless miles, observed lots of strange fair outfits, took a ride on the Skyway swing (never again), and was on t.v. during FSN's Twins postgame show (broadcast from the fair). It's probably a good thing the Fair only happens once a year, but I can't wait till it's back...and I'll be there for Opening Day 2008.

Day 1 in words and pictures

It was far from a perfect weather day at the fair. In fact, as we made our way to the fair around noon on Thursday, it started raining--a light drizzling sort of rain that was never a downpour, but at times annoying. The rain, however, did not curb my enthusiasm for the fair. In fact, I would argue that it was not that bad--it was never hot (in fact it was downright beautiful after the rain ended) and the crowds stayed light.

The rain actually gave me some great photo opportunities. Joel was a great sport and wore the "Target" raincoat, while I wore the less obnoxious "got milk?" raincoat. It made for some amusing photos (see earlier post) and garnered some second looks.

As promised, we started our day out with a pork chop on a stick, followed by a malt. I had a blackberry malt, but I know there is a chocolate malt in my future. Hey, we took the Kashi "get healthy" challenge and snagged a great bag. We went through a lot of buildings in the afternoon, partly in an attempt to stay out of the rain. When the rain really started getting to us, we went to the Coliseum and watched horse jumping. I do this every year. Joel was a little bored, but it gave us a chance to get out of the rain and recharge.

And the rain had ended when we came out. Joel got his second wind (thanks to some mountain dew) and we were good to go. We were able to listen to enjoy some free music performances and more people watching. We stopped at the Fox Sports booth and Roy Smalley was there (we also got to watch the Twins game for a bit). Joel missed the opportunity to snag some autographs, but he did get his pic taken with Smalley (check it out here). We also walked the midway as it was starting to get dark and checked out the birthing barn before heading home.

We managed to put in a 9 hour day at the fair. My body is still recovering (I woke up the next day and felt like I had walked 9 hours on concrete), but I'm already game for a second trip. Joel and I are heading out for our second trip to the fair. There's a chocolate malt with my name on it.

Day 1 in pictures

We don't do rides, but it sure makes for great people-watching & pictures

Joel and the "other woman"

Joel modeling his Target raincoat

One day and cow-nting

Tomorrow is the start of the "Great Minnesota Get Together" aka "the State Fair." Traditionally, I make it to the fair for the opening day and I think tomorrow will be no exception. I'm leaving the door open to the slim possibility that I will wait till Friday to go (because of weather), but right now I have a hard time imagining that tomorrow will be enough of a washout to keep me from being there. Perhaps it will be a short trip, but more than likely it will be a full-day af-fair. I love getting there the first day when everything is fresh and new. Everyone is excited that it's fair time once again.

Fortunately, I married a man who shares my passion for the State Fair (that & baseball...how can a girl be so lucky!). Last year Joel and I went on the first day, dodging raindrops at different times throughout the day. Just as we were finally deciding to call it quits (for our first visit) a thunderstorm darkened the sky. As we turned back to seek shelter from the storm, the skies opened up and dumped buckets of rain. As we ran across fresh sod to get to the Birthing Barn, my shoe was swallowed up by the saturated sod. It was hilarious and became one of my favorite 2006 Fair memories.

I realize different folks enjoy different parts of the fair. Here are some of my favorites:

Favorite foods:
Pork chop on a stick
Chocolate malt from the Dairy Bldg (these two items start me out...no matter what time I arrive...hey, protein and dairy makes a woman strong)
Shaved ice (on a hot day)
corn dog
Cream puff (with chocolate whipped cream)
(No cheese curds for me thank you)

Favorite buildings:
Fine Arts
Creative Activities
Education
Birthing Barn
Empire Commons

Favorite Fair activities
people watching
watching horse jumping competitions
collecting information and recipes
listening to music
checking out the "butter heads" of the Dairy princesses (Princess Kay of the Milky Way...its an annual pilgrimage to check out the butter heads...family tradition I instilled in my kids...remember, I grew up in Dairy farming country)

Hey, if you want some State Fair info to plan your trip, check out this link .

This year I am going with my new digital camera in hand (these pics are not mine). Finally, I will be able to capture my favorite fair sights and memories. I'll be sure to share some with you.

What are your favorite fair memories?


See ya there!