I knew I had lots of family coming to the fair today.  The kid was home, and had to get new boots.  What to do, what to do??   Randy took the kid to get boots, and I went to the fair!

I spent the morning sleeping in, blogging and walking the dog, and didn’t get over to the fair until after 11:00 am.  The first family I connected with were my Uncle Glenn & Aunt Marge from Thief River and my cousin KayLyn and family who live in Southern Illinois, almost to St. Louis.  Her oldest son was last at the fair in a stroller and her younger son hasn’t ever been here!

The day was heating up.  It was swampy and humid and you didn’t want to get too close to anyone, and you’d sweat standing still.  KayLyn’s husband is a physician and had worked a 30 hour shift prior to arriving here in the Cities and he was ready to nap on a bench in the shade. They had already experienced some of my fair, but they had much left to do!

Glenn & Kerry found a couple of Lienie Recliners and I think this spot was claimed by the family most of the day!

As we cousins connected, hugged and visited for a bit in the hot sun, my friend Carole & John found us!  Carole is not quite sure how I can do this for twelve days…she’s been here since about 9am and is already done in.  I told her that avoiding Saturdays and hot days helps a lot!

Marge & Kaylyn had already scored Kare11 coffee tumblers (something I had yet to even see!) and some other swag, but wanted to get the new UCare bags.  Marge also needed coffee and I needed pie.  The three of us made our way in a short circuit to accomplish all three!

We ran through the Health Fair11 building, and then popped into the food building through the back doors and I bought a round of blueberry pie!

I told Marge, it was no “Marge Espe, hand-picked, Beltrami County, wild blueberry pie”, but it was as close as I could get here in St. Paul.  She & KayLyn disagreed and thought it was just delicious! I grabbed one to-go for Glenn.  We headed over to get coffee at the Farmers Union booth.  There are new counters this year, with four lines going and faster distribution system, but they offer so many different things, and have two new food items, a rhubarb blueberry cobbler & Heirloom tomato BLT (both of which I have not tried) and fancy coffee drinks that the lines stretch into the street on busy days.  I suggested they have an express coffee line.  I’m not sure they care.  Today was a busy day, and getting busier.We waited almost 15 minutes for three cups of black coffee.

While we were gone for almost a half an hour, the boys had other ideas and wasted no time, adding buckets of fries and cookies to their food repertoire.

Glenn enjoyed his pie too, exclaiming, “Oh My” as he dipped his fork into the lemon blueberry goodness!  I commented that there isn’t much more Norwegian Lutheran than drinking hot black coffee on a hundred degree day in the sun!  I was told by numerous people today, that hot coffee on a hot day actually cools you down!  I’m in…I’m all in!

I did not have anything I wanted to accomplish, other than to help my family achieve their goals.  The weather really was oppressive and the fair was getting more and more crowded.  I offered to find a bench and plant myself for an hour so we would have a spot to watch the parade.  We found a bench in a semi shady spot, and as the sun moved, we moved the bench….and then the sun moved again and we moved the bench back.  It was a heavy yellow bench, but it was worth moving.

Marge & I sat on the bench while Glenn continued to occupy the Lienie Recliner.  KayLyn & family went to see butter heads.  I gave Kaylyn directions to sneak in the very back door to pop in where the butter heads are, but she missed by one door length and ended up smack in the middle of the dairy product lines! Afterwards they took a trip through the haunted house. I shared the story of why I am not welcome in the haunted house and we shared  good laugh!

My friend Bree was manning the volunteer gazebo at the Bailey House (across the street from us) and she got the best pictures of the parade! I dream of getting the color guard pictures like this!

If you look closely, we’re sitting on the bench by the tree!

This was pre-parade where all the equine participants come out and join the parade mid block from behind the Bailey House. What a cute little unicorn (photo credit Bree)

As the parade came by, once again I got to see my friend Johnny hard at work, scooping the pooping, among other things!

Post parade, we parted ways as I had other family to connect with, and had to return to fetch the rest of my family and return to the fair tonight.

I connected with Emma, Nick, Alexia, Willie and Baby Ashton in the middle of the Garden, where they had scored a table in the swamp!  It was Karaoke hour so there was much singing, dancing and need for cooling off beverages! … too soon?!?!

Laughter & tears were shared and it was Emma’s birthday and much fun was had by all… despite the sweltering heat and ever-increasing crowds!

I headed home, got a stamp and the crowds were pouring in.  What was I thinking….

I picked up Gray & RQ and we returned around 5pm.  We had a meet up scheduled with friends and RQ had to pick up his reserved scooter.

My cousin Karla’s son Kory entered a photograph into his county 4H competition and it made it to the State Level.  We headed up to 4H see if the judging was complete, but it turns out the judging was occurring at that moment.  We couldn’t wait for the results, so we headed to the Ball Park Cafe to meet Randy’s childhood friends, stopping along the way so he could get a foot long, a Gray could get a malt!

I usually avoid the fair, midday or early evening on the weekends.  Today reinforced that conviction.  Many days of this fair have broken records, but I don’t remember it ever being ~this! crowded.  I would have thought the sweltering heat would have thinned the crowds, but it did not.  I’m not sure how I did it….maybe channeling Mom, but I was able to score four tables and 10 chairs in the middle of the ball park, all while people were scoping and clamoring for anywhere to sit, rest and drink out of the sun.

Gray took off to hook up with some college friends and were happy just siting and visiting. 

Mary Jo & I offered to get some beer.  Rod said he’d take a Light beer and Randy said he’d like a “Mini Donut”  Rod said he’d like one of those too, so off we went.  Mary Jo is a celebrity so she doesn’t have to wait for beers!  We carried the beer to the table and Rod looked surprised when I out two beers down in front of him….he thought “mini donut” meant actual donuts…  Not at the Ball Park they don’t.

Lines were long for any food or beverage, seats were scarce and it took forever to walk 20 feet.  I had put on over 140 thousand steps in the past 11 days and I was good just staying put…for the whole evening.  Some of the group took off to see a couple of bands performing in other areas, but Randy wanted to go and get some food.  We left Gray with some friends and bucket of cookies, promising to return at some point.

The food building was sweltering, but not as crowded as the streets so I ran over and grabbed my second pie of the day! Randy did stop for actual Tom Thumb donuts and then we by passed Ye Old Mill, which for the first year is run by the State Fair,  The family that owned & ran it for generations decided to be done.  One of the top dollar auction items at the Taste ( that I did not attend this year) was a refurbished boat from Ye Old Mill!

Randy didn’t say anything and I wasn’t sure my knees would get me out, if I was even able to get in…so passing by was for the best.

We took the back way down through the Territorial Pioneers, walking past one of the recycling depositories for booths around this area.  It smelled about as good as it looked!

We came out by Kare11 and I filled up our water bottles at the nice cold spigots here.

We scooted and hiked over to the Turkey to Go booth and I got some ribs and Randy got a Giant Juicy.  I have not had a turkey sandwich this year, but the ribs are my new favorite anyway!

I got an icy, margarita beverage as we passed by Cafe Caribe, and did not see the rest of our group.  They must have already made their way up to Dino’s stage.  Randy was tiring from the crowds and heat and I wasn’t arguing, so we went back up the hill back to the Ball Park to fetch our youth.  Nate had just finished his very long day as beer man extraordinaire and took a minute to say Hi!

We’d be returning as a family unit again for our annual Labor Day Fair Day, but Randy wasn’t quite done eating.  I got him a Foot Long Poncho Dog as he returned the scooter and we all ~slowly~ walked back to Moms.

I was pretty sure this would be another record setting day.