Today is MPR day at the fair. I only had one thing on my agenda and that was to be in Carousel Park at 2pm to hear Cantus lead Bring the Sing!

First I popped into the Creative Activities side door to get my recipe card. Sadly no taste tests today! This is one I think I’d like to try!

I then walked down Dan Patch and noticed the line for U of MN fanny packs. It was down to the end of the block near Worlds Greatest French Fries and I decided today would be a good day to wait. We made a little kibbutz with the line neighbors and discussed our odds of receiving the goods. There was another block length of people behind us shortly, so if they were that optimistic, our confidence increased.

The giveaway started at 11:00 and this picture was taken at 10:58. I had the fanny pack in my hand about four minutes later!

Waiting in line, I encountered my alphabet Forest friends Dan & his daughter Trina. I’m not sure where exactly they were headed, but it didn’t take any convincing for them to follow me to pie!

They decided on Danielson & Daughter’s onion rings. One of Mom’s favorites. I also had a chance to chat with Sheryl, one of the daughters, hanging out with Sara!

I wandered out of the food plaza and headed down Underwood towards the Territorial Pioneers. Right out in front of the Minnesota Wine Country booth, there was a traveling vendor set up. Top The Tater is delicious addition to any kind of potato! They were giving away sample scoops on a bed of chips. I didn’t know there were different flavors! The guy pictured here informed me that if I brought any fair food to him, he’d cover it in top the tater. They’d only be here today & tomorrow, so I had a plan to get back with a tub of fries!

I got a text that some Kelsey cousins were down by the barns, so I headed to them. They spent a short time in the swine barn, and got the ears!

We were standing by that sign by chance. But the barns were in fact open. As we stood chatting, along came some Engevik cousins and we had a lovely connection.

It was drawing closer to noon and I wanted a great seat for Bring the Sing, so I departed and went back to Carousel Park. There are all sorts of activities and giveaways for members and prospective members alike. I picked up some swag and my MPR member gift.

I sat down in the sun, in the front row about an hour early and covered myself with sunscreen! I used the time to catch up on email, blog notes, text family & friends and rest my “day nine feet”. I had some seats saved in case anyone I knew came by, but as the concert grew closer, I gave them up. Of course, just after I did, Lynn & Gordy arrived, but they found a seat towards the back. Probably shadier! The concert was great fun MC’d by Steve Staruch.

We got our song books and buttons and settled in to sing together!

Friends who follow MPR on Twitter and Instagram were reporting seeing me there!

After the concert I connected with by lifelong friend Nancy & daughter Honor! They had stopped to try the Fried Spam. The jury was still out as to whether it was good or bad.

These two redheads were ready to get out of the sun for a few moments, as was I! I led them over to the Blue Flame building for cold water and to cool off for a bit. I always see things that I have never seen before.

Can’t miss a photo op!

Nancy & Honor went on with their day and I walked back over to Mom’s for a bit. Mark was coming over at some point. The crowds were growing intense I needed to get out of the sun.

I know that the attendance numbers don’t always seem to be in line with how crowded it feels at the fair. The reason is that attendance numbers are based on how many people walk through the gate. Typically people come and go throughout the day. When the weather is so perfect ~nobody leaves~. It’s even hard for this State Fair lover when it gets too crowded to move.

Mark & I, just us, have not “done the fair” together since I was about 12! We wandered, slowly, through the crowds. We talked, shared memories and pointed out landmarks that mattered to us.

We indulged in a cup of Sweet Martha’s cookies and happened to run into Lynn & Gordy again, long time family friends, and were able to share the cookies!

We headed to the Grandstand so Mark could look into getting a replacement part from the Salsa Guy! They use that food processor so often, they wear out the parts! Nothing is stocked at the fair, so he’s got to follow up later. We needed a restroom break and the lines were so long! Even for the men’s room! I snuck around the back entrance bypassing the line and got dirty looks from people just standing there waiting for a full stall door to open. Sometimes you need to stop being Minnesota nice passive aggressive and just be aggressive. There was a bank of open stalls, and once the people in the front of the line recovered from thier indignation, they followed my lead.

I got out safely and found Mark connecting with one of his Special Olympic athletes and her family.

We just kept walking and talking and ran into these friends from church at O’Garas.

Morgan & Matt found us and they had not seen Gayle’s crop art so we went back to Ag/Hort. I knew the lines had been crazy long and heard rumor that they put up signs. The rumors were true! It was 7pm and the slow line was still out the door! We took the fast lane.

I also realized that the flower aisles were featuring the bonsai and orchids. The two things together embody Dad & Mom.

I hadn’t noticed this Prince Kaleidoscope display before!

After wandering through the flowers and veggies, we went over to see the butterheads. The three remaining uncarved blocks of butter are a reminder of how few days of fun are left!

I wanted a frosty beverage refill from Cafe Caribe and we ran into friends listening to the band (I think) Dan Ristrom & The Throwdown. I got a picture of the two entrepreneurs discussing new business plans.

It was almost closing time at the Miracle of Birth center, so we ran in to see if there were any new babies. Some piglets had just been born and I took my companions to see the duck slide! I could watch those ducks all day!

This little piggie looked like two thirds of Neapolitan ice cream!

I guess it’s not a complete State Fair Friday night without a trip through the Midway. I came to realize that when I do go to the Midway, I’m usually with my brother!

Matt & Mark used up lots of tickets on games of strength, skill and chance. A few prizes were won!

We wanted to catch some of “First Avenue Goes to the Fair”, at the West End stage. While most of the performances and groups span two nights, the First Ave gig had a different line up both nights.

We grabbed some bull bites, bang bang chicken and beer at Lulu’s and listened to some of HarMar Superstar.

On our way back out of the West End, I took the crew by the Log Cabin. I’m not sure any of them, Mark included, knew the story of Mom having dejavu the first time she walked through the cabin when it was moved to the fair. It turns out the cabin came from the farm just down the road from where mom grew up and she’d played in that cabin, as a child, with the kids who lived there. There was a plaque on the wall telling the story. Now the cabin is all sealed up and you can’t go in.

This picture is of the cabin in its old location in what used to be Heritage Square.

My head thick with memories and my heart full having spent the day with my big brother, we walked up Dan Patch and back to moms. I needed to sleep to get my battery charged up for the last three days.

I’m sad I didn’t get a Day Nine date stamp photo with this guy. I’d would have said, maybe next year…. but we all know how that turned out. Here’s to 2021.