There’s only one Tuesday at the fair. It’s usually the least attended, but this year could be different. The attendance numbers are 40% lower so far and the weather was forecast to be beautiful again. I knew it could be a long day on the grounds. My feet are hanging in there but today I suited up for lots of walking.

I had a few people to connect with today, the first being Morgan & Matt! They knew that my first stop would be pie, and they found me in the food building!

I ate the pie so fast, I didn’t get a picture of it! Luckily I got to see Sarah and she captured me & my Pie! 💙

Matt was beyond breakfast by 10:00 am and got the Bahn Minn Bun, consensus was good but too much bun.

We walked up north and stopped at one of the many Paddle North booths this year. The kids live in Colorado now, and everybody is into “SUP”. We had to check out the Stand Up Paddle (sup) boards. They are inflatable and portable. I think it would be funny to try and get the girls on the paddle ship at the cabin!

As we walked north, we got to see the military appreciation day fly over.

We walked past the new vendor spot, now that they’re all open for business. The reviews of Baba’s hummus have all been rave. “Super creamy & delicious”

The Spinning Wylde cotton candy offers a million flavors, but no artificial colors. They have a wall of flavor crystal sugars! I like their saying “pink is a color, not a flavor”

Next stop, we decided to check out the pet pavillion. We didn’t go in the merchandise tent, but the usual crowds of people, 10 deep, waiting to pet dogs was non-existent this year.

Still lots of cute dogs! Remember this is not the space to discuss your mutt! You’ll face a bit of judgement from the purebred folks up here!

We took a quick pass through the limited shops at the North End Market. The Boundary Waters booth, Good Things, and a couple other vendors make up the group. We got out camping silverware set!

I laugh at this t-shirt. I always said that Randy will always know our anniversary years, because it’s the last time the Twins won a World Series. (It’s 30 this October!) I’m not wrong!

Morgan & I are both O- blood type and we briefly thought about donating blood, but the previous breakfast beer consumption precluded Morgan & Matt and there was a wait at the time, they were full. I might look into it another time.

They had a friend to connect with down at another gate so we decided to take the scenic Sky Glider trip back to the other end. If you don’t know this trick, but a round trip ticket. It’s actually two tickets that can be used any time, or one trip for two people. You save $2 on two rides. $5 for one, $8 for two.

As we began our ascent I shouted out a big “hello” to local, much loved celeb, Jason Matheson. He graciously waved back!

It was a glorious, blue sky, day and Matt went ahead while Morgan & I rode together and laughed our way to the end.

The roof of the Little Hands Farm is light on dropped merchandise this year, but besides the standard bras, underwear, food and prizes, we spied masks and Sasquatch for the first time!

Just like the quiet Alphabet Forest, the aerial view of the Little Hands Farm, usually with a steady stream of children playing, is a visual reminder that so many families are making the choice to keep kids safely at home this year.

We took a high flying selfie on this sunny day!

We parted ways after a fun morning stroll catching up a little more and I was ready to grab a bite eat.

The chicken salad fajita has always been a favorite of mine and had it not been for the strange year where vendors had some restrictions on menu changes, this item would no longer be offered at Juanita’s! Get it this year if you want to try it, because it might disappear.

I got to say hi to this hard working lady too, who looks fresh as daisy on day seven!

My friend Dan was also on the grounds and we were making halfhearted attempts to connect, since we were with others, but I checked in after eating and he was sitting at the Hangar (where we last departed from). I had a second Sky Glider ticket so I sailed right back up! The photo ops from this direction are a little better!

The Kidway is still relatively empty on this beautiful day. I have yet to see it crowded.

Also empty we’re many of the Glider chairs and the streets below!

I found Dan and a few of his realtor partners hanging outside so I joined the table and I met some fun people.

Dan & I just started to wander around what used to be Machinery Hill, which still has machinery, only much smaller and useful for the urban farmer! I could use a lawn roomba…”iMow”. They run about $2000.00. Dan commented that it might be worth it if the power source were a solar panel that charged as it mowed!

We found the super tiny Northern Tool tent. I’m sure they abbreviated the set up due to Covid and uncertainty this year. No batteries or wall to wall gadgets. I’ll get pictures another day.

Dan wanted to find the sheep and handlers that he knew so we made our way to the sheep barns. They were wearing blaze orange so were not hard to spot! I realize this is the only picture I got of Dan today!

I was looking at some sheep and saw the “AA” on the rear end of this one and was really expecting the letter “B” to appear. Sadly, I was super disappointed! It must be the sheep farm initials. “BAA” would have been ~way~ better!

Something in the straw was biting my ankles so we promptly exited and headed back towards Dan Patch. The entrance to the Midway looks this empty most days, but more populated at night. I have avoided the night scene this far.

I stopped to check the art progress and show Dan around. There were lots of busy artists today!

Geno Okok was happy to pose for this progress shot!

Jack didn’t want to miss the chance to see his cousin Morgan after almost two years, so he hopped in a Lyft and we connected near the Grandstand. Dan went on his way and I convinced Jack to partake in a couple photo ops!

It was getting close to 2:00, parade start time. I had a plan to enjoy the view from Grammie’s bench. It’s located at the terminal end of the parade route, so we had extra of time to get in place. It was all ours for a while.

We spotted friends, Rhonda snd Kathleen again! They stopped to chat, but didn’t have time to stay. We ended up sharing the bench and the later arrivals somehow got the shady end of the bench! I remembered to pack my own sunscreen today and applied another layer!

These were great parade seats!

There were a few marching bands, but no horses this year. The zoo wagon and horse expo participants are all absent.

After the parade, we had no agenda and decided to share a burrito from El Sol, the taco place right behind the bench. They’re just OK, nothing fancy. Jack wasn’t a fan of the cilantro. We said goodbye to Grammie and went to find something sweet. On the way, I found more artists at work.

Today, as I spend parts of the day with different people, I find myself retracing my steps often! This was the first stop at Fluffy’s…today.

Jack got the jumbo this time, and we agree that they’re don’t taste like they were fresh baked, but it didn’t stop me from finishing mine. Jack couldn’t eat the entire big one.

We were killing time until we’d meet up with Morgan, so I suggested another ride on the Glider. It’s a favorite thing to do, and Jack wasn’t 100% sure he’d make it back out here. I bought another round trip ticket to split and we hopped on at the grandstand end. I’m adjusting to the smaller crowds, and enjoying the space, but a completely empty street at 3pm is quite a sight to see. Usually there are traveling pop up vendors along here, but nothing this year.

We disembarked without falling over and the ride kept moving. Once back on the ground, I was checking out all the backyard fire & grill equipment vendors. Jack was not all that amused or interested in the big egg grill or S’more fishing rods.

He obliged though and joined me in the cow photo booth. When I was last there, I didn’t see that the masked cow was an option!

We did one with and one without!

We needed to fill water bottles, so we went back into the Eco Building. Very few people inside makes it easy to check everything out. This was the first time I noticed the huge melting ice blocks in the center. Last time I was too focused on the scavenger hunt.

I’ve been seriously thinking about getting an eBike with pedal assist. They have one you can try!

You can get a free roll of eco friendly toilet paper here too! That’s a first for me!

Jack wanted to see a little of the education building, so we cruised through and this time we got a nice bag from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux. It feels like canvas, but it’s all recycled materials.

We got a demonstration on how to save a life with narcan.

Jack found a display with an AR sandbox. It was super cool to manipulate, but I’m not a fan of sand. (Or sticky, or glitter…) After playing for a minute, Jack had some sandy granule covered hand regret.

We voted at Dunwoody and our pick, French fries, were trailing the favorite cheese curds.

It’s a quick trip through the building when there are no lines. Since we were already inside, I was curious what vendors returned this year into the Annex. There are only about eight spaces. The soup sample and wine slushie people are back, along with the syrup and the Swiss peeler guy. I decided to not partake in communal food this year as no we moved through quickly. As we approached the back side of Creative Activities, a dad was dragging his young son though (I’m not sure where they thought they were headed) but I overheard the kid say, “Dad, what is this place?” The dad replied “it’s a senior citizen museum”. I laughed out loud at that one!

I do so love the quilt squares on a stick, so I took a moment to photograph a few. You can see the theme was bees. Next year it’s “The Loon, Minnesota bird of fashion”. Can’t wait to see quilted, costumed loons on a stick!

We quickly made our way back out, our eyes catching a few things along the way.

Jack & I knew Matt & Morgan were running out of time to connect with us, so we were sure not to miss them, we planted ourselves at a table right near the main gate. It wasn’t long before they found us and we just hung out and the cousins had a great reunion.

Jack was tiring, but I wasn’t ready to leave. So we remained at the table for a bit and rested while we waited for Mike & Kathleen, who were on their way over for the Doobie Brothers concert in the Grandstand. We were again in search of some food (protein, not sugar) so we all walked back down to the West End to eat Lulu’s Cajun bites and bang bang chicken. Kathleen wanted some new sunglasses Mike picked out the perfect pair for only $10! The dangling nose tag was removed after purchase!

They went on to the concert and as Jack was choosing his new hat at “i like you”, Steve & Karla popped up and surprised us. With some protein ingested, we couldn’t pass up a nordic waffle. S’more seems to be theme for me today!

When we passed by Juanita’s, (backtracking again) who should we see but the elusive man behind the scenes, Dan! He’d been cooking earlier and I missed it!

I took Karla & Steve to see the Sleep Number photo board and they jumped right up and spooned!

Due to a change in line up and Doobie Brothers member Michael MacDonald backing out (he was being tested for a breakthrough Covid case), the Grandstand concert would be starting and ending earlier tonight. I thought it would be a good night to stay and see fireworks and a possible corn dance. Our small group decided to return to see the Eagles Tribute Band once again and pulled up a bench outside the bazaar.

Jack & his new hat were spent. He took the keys and went back to rest in the car until I decided I was done.

Mike texted that the Doobies were playing the last encore, so we walked back…again….to the grandstand. The fireworks shot off as Mike & Kathleen found us.

There was indeed a corn dance and the kids have changed, but the playlist and dance routine remains the same. Or so we thought! I stopped recording the dance and a minute later they started a new dance to a new song. I will have to return to record the new addition! Here is a snippet of the old standard.

We all made our way back up Dan Patch to head home, but Mike was hungry so I stopped at Que Viet for a quick egg roll to share. It was not quick! Mike gave up waiting and moved on to find nachos at OofDa Tacos, but I stayed to wait. It turns out they’d turned off the fryers at 9:30 as they’ve done all the previous slow nights and sold the food remaining. Tonight, however, the Grandstand show let out so early, they experienced a concert rush! The kids were unprepared and did their best! I prepaid and waited with my empty boat for about 20 minutes. The fryers heated back up and the restless crowd got egg rolls & wontons, but I’m pretty sure they’ll keep the fryers hot a bit longer from here on out!

I left half an egg roll, Mike & Kathleen, a bucket of nachos and a couple beers sitting at O’Gara’s, to return to car and get my tired kid (still recovering from surgery) back home. Despite all the riding and resting, I did enough backtracking through the fair today to tally 20k steps, my biggest count this far. I hope I don’t regret it!

It’s Monday, I’m not volunteering today, but I knew some friends would be on the grounds I needed to find. I had a morning agenda, but also knew there was much blogging to be done. I decided to go for a while, early, and see where the day goes.

Walking over today, there weren’t too many neighbors out parking. Another slow day I bet. I did find this doggo curled up by the fence and was amazed that he was sleeping so peacefully. I know it’s slow out here, but wow! As I took the picture a voice came from the yard…”can I ask what you’re doing?” I’m sure she thought I was nuts, but we chatted for a minute and I learned the dog was deaf and blind. No wonder. I’m not sure she was convinced I’m not a crazy person, but is anyone?

It’s day five and I’ve only had three blueberry tipsy pies, something does not add up here!

Serendipity led me to connect with one of the friends I was looking for as we both decided that pie for breakfast was a great idea!

My agenda had me headed for a recipe card and the Education building at 10am so I started walking. I was noticing many more wheels today and my observed demographic had shifted slightly older. It wasn’t until I picked up the daily schedule that I realized why.

I got lucky and the recipe cards had been placed on the stand inside the door early, so I was ahead of schedule. This is one I really wanted by a Springerle baker that I know from a Facebook cookie group. This will be attempted before the holiday baking season is in full swing!

I had a harsh reality check when I stopped to spin the wheel at the Allina Health pop up and was asked if I had any pressing Medicare questions…😝. I did win a laundry stick which might come in handy out here one day soon!

Into the Education building I went to find more people than I’d encountered before. Bart & Sonja gave me excellent directions, so I made a beeline to the back corner snd grabbed my cute Bemidji lumberjack bag and the pop up fan next door.

By no means was the building crowded, there were just a few more people than the usual none so far. I didn’t want to linger, but stopped at Minnesota State colleges booth and got to choose from a plethora of giveaways. I chose a lanyard that is a phone charger and I decided it will make a great mask clip so I don’t fling and lose another one!

Next on my agenda was to see the artists working on the murals so I headed towards the Midway. I found another chair E & I might need to try!

I looked up the grandstand ramp to see if I dared make my way up and into the building, but all I saw was a line. A line for what? I did not know. I got in the line and learned it was a Mystic Lake “Clinko” giveaway. I would have liked any of the prizes except the koozie or drawstring bag…I won the bag.

Turning into Carousel Park I saw lots of tents and the one with the Pride banner drew me in. It turns out today there is Mental Health Awareness Fair here. It’s the second time it’s been here, I must have missed the first. events like this just help to remove the stigma of mental health and make it OK to not be OK!

It was full of the state fair free stuff we’ve all come to love and collect, lip balm, chip clips, fans, pencils, bracelets, but this group also had fidget spinners, squeeze stress balls and special this year, masks and lots and lots of hand sanitizer!

There were also buttons, lots of buttons. I’d started clipping a few buttons to my purse strap, but after today, I can officially say, I’m collecting them!

In order to really have a collection, I need to find an official 2021 State Fair Button. I don’t even know if they exist this year!

After my mental health detour I found one artist at work. I’m sure he appreciates his shady location this morning!

It was almost 11:00am, the sun was growing hotter and the crowd was also growing. I was wearing my mask all the time now a bit sweaty. I’m actually glad for the mask since I needed to reapply sunscreen and I failed to bring more. I have also investigated almost every medical stand out here and no one has sunscreen packets. Due to Covid the sun lotion dispenser buckets are no longer here either. Bring sunscreen!

The fanny pack giveaway at the UofMN building was three minutes away so I got in the line. Contrary to every other day so far, today there have been a few lines.

I got my prize and decided that I needed my own mental and physical health break so I headed home to possibly return later.

I asked the stamp guy at the gate to stamp me up high so I could wash my hands well. He told me he had a better solution! I’ve never been given one of these! Now I just can’t lose it!

After putting my feet up, having a little respite from the sun and catching up on three days of the blog, I got a message from Liz wondering if I was at the Fair. I decided, I sure could be! Jack wanted to come for a shorter trip, so off we went!

There was plenty of space at 7pm. I’m sure the early morning seniors have long departed. Walking into the sun, we headed to the Ball Park for dinner.

Nate was just getting off work and this was the first time I’d managed to see him!

Plenty of empty tables to choose from, we sat and enjoyed a cheeseburger basket. Liz joined us and we just relaxed and chatted for a bit.

I don’t drink beer. I’m quite allergic to most of them. I tried the red wine last night at Giggles, but it was not to my liking and I actually dumped it. Not sure if it was the ~plastic~ cup, or the wine itself, but tonight I wanted an adult beverage. I needed to forget my feet for a bit. 😉

My drink of choice can only be found at Cafe Caribe, and while it was busier than I’ve seen it this far, there were only two people in line ahead of me.

Liz had not seen the art installations, so we wandered that way and found the same artist from this morning, in the exact same position! This time however he was signing his work that was now complete!

The only other progress of note was on this one.

Liz and I wanted to attend the Eagles Tribute Band concert in the Bazaar, and our water bottles needed filling so we stopped in the KARE Barn. It’s so strange to see it devoid of people. I’ll take a picture tomorrow. We took a quick maskless group shot as we rehydrated!

We walked up the empty back road to the Territorial Pioneers building, looked around a little with no one to get in the way. Jack wanted to see a little more of the Ag/Hort. Walking around the outside to find the best entry, I saw a sad sight. Now I know where the gladiolus go….after the show.

Since we’d cruised through so quickly on Thursday, I wanted to see what I missed in crop art. There were only two other people looking at art with me the entire time. No lines, no queue, no ropes.

This one has been all over Twitter, Art at the fair, critiquing itself!

Someone else asked me to explain this one:

It’s an excerpt from the poem Amanda Gorman wrote and recited at the inauguration “The Hill We Climb”. It took Jack, who overheard someone else talking about it, to see that it’s an ear inside the flag. The title of the work is “Listen to One Another”.

The Bazaar looked rather crowded. I say that, using the word “crowded” defined as “more people than I want to stand around with” and if I need to wear my mask amongst them outdoors. The fair is ~not~ crowded in the usual sense. We decided we could hear them just fine, sitting on a lovely bench on the hill outside Ag/Hort.

Somehow through his transition, Jack has grown taller. He’s officially 6’2” according to the clinic. It’s fun that he’s happy being in pictures again, now that he’s happier in his body!

The last things that we wanted to do were a Giant Wheel ride and procure cookies for Randy waiting at home taking care of the animals! Millie, our anxiety and fear filled rescue pup has trouble with men, and it’s taken lots of encouragement and reinforcement to get her to go outside with him. Jack didn’t want to ride and instead hiked up to Sweet Martha’s of the North.

I was relieved to get these messages as we waited in line (yes there was a relatively long line) for the Wheel.

The queue is a rather long ridiculous serpentine but it keeps people apart until they get closer. It was about a 15 minute wait.

All the times I’ve taken a ride on the Giant Wheel, I’ve never gotten a blue car! Tonight was the night for my favorite color!

I was super excited to ride, until I tried to take my selfie…

Now that I see the “blue hair” I’m not surprised the guy asked me about Medicare earlier today!

The views are fun at night, the ride is short, but it was breezy and cool on another warm, sticky night.

Liz had a long hike back to St. Anthony Park, where she’d found a street parking spot, so we parted ways and I walked to find Jack on a bench on Cosgrove, the street devoid of people once again.

We all got home safely, took showers and I fell asleep sideways on the bed, snuggled up with my dog, who misses me just a little these days.

Glorious blue sky today as I left for the fair. I had some trouble getting out the door, trying to reassemble my packs, remove the offending metal detected coin purse, find sun lotion and locate my masks!! I gave up on the mask search and pulled out an older one and raced out the door to make it on time for my first time working the “author shift” at the Alphabet Forest. Today I knew I would be acting as “security” for Alan Page, I couldn’t be late and still needed brunch!

I was one of only a couple cars in the Bart Lot and I got out of my car and what do I see laying in the grass but my lost mask! I realized that was the last place I did the poncho/mask fling yesterday! It’ll go in the wash and be good as new!

I decided to walk up Simpson and see if any former neighbors were out parking cars, but the street was clear. The new orange door at 1347 spruces up the place and it made my heart happy to see dads hostas growing so well! I think it took the new owners about a minute to appreciate the lucrative opportunity in state fair car parking!

Despite the fact it was a weekend day and a clear blue sky forecast, the typical throng was not there.

I cruised through the metal detectors without issue and started to contemplate brunch.

I saw the mascot vehicle on my path to find food so I popped over to the visitors plaza to get a quick picture. Fairborne was on the other side with his own line forming, so Fairchild and I would have to go solo!

I decided on another Gyro, since I needed something not too far away and that would tide me over until mid afternoon.

With lunch in hand, I made my way to the sky glider path as it was busier on the inside than it looked from the outside! Still space between people, but much less than before.

Grateful this climb was not too muddy.

I always love the sky glider pictures against a bright blue sky! I’ll go for a ride at some point! Socially distant and open air!

On a typical weekend day, I take a wide path around the Kidway, unless I was meeting up with some of my kiddos. Today I was actually kind of sad as I went as the crow flies, diagonally through the empty spaces between rides.

Elysia made the observation, and I absolutely concur that the main demographic represented at the fair so far has been people between the ages of 15 and 60. There are so many fewer kids and very few elderly that we’ve seen. I have to say, this is a good thing, in that currently they are still the most vulnerable populations, but with Delta, we’re all vulnerable now.

I got to the Forest, found an empty yellow bench, quickly ate my Gyro and gulped down a big water bottle. I was prepared to take my post along side Justice Alan Page and his daughter Kamie. Alan Page is famous as an NFL Hall of Famer, he was a Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice, and awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom. He’s a pretty good sousaphone player, but in the Alphabet Forest, he’s notable for the four children’s books, he co-authored with his daughter. They have come here a few times and we always welcome their visit.

When I arrived, I found that I’d be volunteering along side my dear Forest friend Tom!

I’d never been at this post before, so I had to read up on my job description and get a short orientation. When I was asked to do “security” it was more about helping to watch over the cash exchange and book supply. Our usual Alphabet Forest bookseller is ill, so the task has fallen to the individual authors to manage their own sales. Good news, bad news, the Pages’ new book Bee Love had already sold out! So my job mainly consisted of assisting them with supplies, encouraging people to stop in and say hi, and take some photos.

I will say, it was my favorite day in the Forest. It was an honor and a privilege to bear witness to all the stories that passing visitors shared about how the Page family has touched their lives. Some knew him as law students, some received different scholarships funded by his foundation, some were just super Vikings fans. Many of them learned about his contributions as a children’s author for the first time today! His daughter is an educator and during some of the quiet moments, we shared stories about teaching and books.

When the Page’s visit was over at 2pm, I thanked them for a wonderful day snd helped them pack up. The parade came by and I popped out to see a couple units. The Mr. Peanut float is new this year! The peanut man has walked in the parade before, but now he’s got a new ride!

Caught a glimpse of the mascots again…

And enjoyed the passing drum and bagpipe corps.

After the parade passed through, I still had a job to do! After the authors depart, we have kits for kids to come and author their own state fair story!

This little patron worked so hard on her book and the last page reads “The day is not over, who knows what I’ll see! But so far THIS….” And her answer, “was so fun”! ❤️

After my shift, I was hoping to connect with my niece Morgan and boyfriend Matt. They moved to Colorado to find work during the pandemic and I have not seen or hugged them since Christmas 2019…that’s 613 days too many!

As I waited to hear from them, I completed my own Alphabet Forest Word Game. My theme this year was diseases and medical issues. It seemed appropriate.

I went on my way, knowing I’d connect with Morgan and Matt shortly and discovered the location of MNDOT this year. Just across the street from the Education Building. I got my new state highway maps fresh off the presses.

Then took a selfie with Plowy McPlowface, one of the minnesota snow plow team.

I’ve heard and read about a new sensory space for kids hosted by Fraser and I wanted to check it out. Just across from Creative Activities is a calm, soft, space to center and recharge. It’s intended for kids, but I’m thinking they need a grown up version too!

I heard from the youths and the plan was to meet up at Giggles. I got there first and found where lots of the people were hanging out!

This was really the first “line” I noticed for kettle corn!

While I waited I popped into the empty Kemp’s booth to get my cow pic!

As soon as I found the kids, I dragged them over to do the same with me!

We spent almost an hour, just hanging out, catching up and hugging. They were at the fair with friends, and I asked if it was too awkward to have the old aunt hanging around. They heartily encouraged me to stick with them and my heart was full.

We all caught part of the lumberjack show. Dave & his wife have been doing this for years!

Snapped this pic just as she was falling off the log!

Matt can put away more food than anyone I know. He reminds me a bit of my brother Mark! ❤️ so the next stop was more food and beer varieties for the kids. I think there are over 50 new flavors of beer this year. I’m not a beer drinker, so it’s lost on me.

There was a crowd building, but still nothing compared to other years, but if we didn’t have the space to do a square dance outdoors, I wore my mask.

It was fun to have another generation to regale with old state fair lore snd stories. I felt just like my dad ❤️

We ended up getting old favorites to eat from Lulu’s Public House, Cajun (bull) bites and Bang Bang Chicken. So good!

We had to make a stop at the old log cabin that Mom played in as a child in Gatzke. We’ll just call this picture “returning to the scene of the crime”

Leaving the west end, near the Midway, we sent messages to Mark to reassure him that we were able to social distance. It’s so strange to have so much room out here!

The gang of kids was heading into the Midway and I left them there after long tight hugs. We’ll hopefully spend more time out here together on Tuesday!

I turned around and crossed into the Fresh French Fries zone. There was a line tonight, but still not long.

I wanted to check on the Joyful World mural progress and found a few changes having occurred earlier! I might have to make progress photo groupings for each mural once they’re completed!

My feet decided it was time to go, so I cut through an almost vacant Carousel Park to make my way home.

I remembered I wanted to see the new addition to the bleachers at the Ball Park, and look for any friends. On the way I stopped at the Farm Bureau and did a quiz with 3D glasses to earn an insulated lunch tote.

I didn’t see anyone I knew at the Ball Park, but Dave himself is now up in the bleachers with Ian Leonard!

I walked up Dan Patch, past the Hamline Dining Hall. There’s a bench here honoring a dear friend of Mom & Dads Elaine Christiansen and her buddy Betty. the doors were just closing on the ice cream window, but I saw there was no special flavor this year, and Dessa’s flavor did not return.

Instead of ice cream, I bought a cashew salted nut roll to go. I commented on how the weather made everything so sticky as I paid for my treats with gooey ones… the guy in the booth said, “ya, I’m familiar with sticky”. I looked up and it took a minute for me to get it… he’s a guy making caramel salted rolls… and I was complaining about sticky.

As I passed the Merchandise Mart, it too was empty. I decided to make a quick pass. The PuzzleTwist guys are there again, so I loaded up with the new ones for this year.

Without a fair last year, we also needed a refill on our Smooth Gator lotion. The lotion and bug bite sticks save both Jack & I from crazy itching.

I only made it down one side of the mart when I got a message from another dear friend who was up by the Giant Wheel.

My feet protested, but heart propelled me up the hill. She’s got her own aches & pains and we concur that it sucks getting older! We found a bench and rested and had an all too short, but good visit!

We said our goodbyes near the information booth that houses the man with all the fun hats! I caught him outside the booth for some air and got a picture of the pizza dome!

I took my leave and rounded Randall Ave to head down Cosgrove. It was only 8:45pm and the street was empty. Seems a lot longer walk when you’re all alone without the crowd.

I made it back to Simpson to find Bart & Sonja waiting up for me ❤️. I gave them a little Anniversary gift and they let me in on some must have items that they found before me! Planning to head over early in the morning, I now had an agenda! I’m still comforted by my sign, it’s a little ragged with the rain, but it makes me feel like I still belong here.

The steamy, stormy weather pattern continued today and my feet and legs required a short recovery window. I blogged all morning and gave myself an hour to get over the Forest for my 2:45 shift. There was no road congestion on my way over, but the time elapsed quickly as I stopped to chat with neighbors. The pedestrian traffic seemed slightly heavier today, but with impending rain, there were more people going out than in.

I set off the primary metal detector, but passed through the secondary just fine. I’d been trying to figure out what I added or changed in my gear bag, until I started blogging and realized it was my little coin purse…read on.

I arrived on the grounds in between the scheduled times for recipe card distribution, but I popped in the side door and lo and behold, one card remained. I grabbed it, took a picture and tucked it away where I hoped it would stay dry today.

I came prepared with sixteen quarters and four pennies tucked in my coin sock. (See the closure…sets of metal detectors!)

I had a few extra minutes before I needed to check in for my shift, so I went inside the Fine Art building to find the penny smasher. It’s located in the artist in residence area on the south wall.

There are four designs by local artists.

There was one person who arrived before me, but no one waiting so I proceeded to smash all four in a row.

The building wasn’t crowded, but it held more people than I was comfortable with, so I decided I’d come look at Fine Art another time.

My uber volunteering friend Bree was head of crown distribution today, I’d be taking over for her shortly! I signed in, got my apron, EpiPen and poncho and relieved her!

It’s been pretty quiet in the Forest this fair, so far. Some people still know to find me here and my former coworker and her son, (my former toddler!) stopped to say hi!

He’s grown just a little in 9 years!!

We spent much of the shift, covering and uncovering games and stations as the rain popped up and dispersed all afternoon. Nothing torrential or severe today, thankfully.

With such thin crowds, I wanted to check out the Fine Art once I finished my shift. Elysia had been out exploring, enjoying what she called her “personal fair” and joined up with me. It seemed that everywhere we went we had a bit more than elbow room!

We masked up and took a leisurely stroll through the galleries. I like to go backwards, like a salmon swimming upstream, but there were no other fish to contend with! It was easy to follow the numbered walls so we didn’t miss a thing.

There wasn’t any one piece of art that jumped out at me, but I’m often drawn to art that involves textures, collage and makes me think the medium used is something different than it appears!

The following installations all required closer inspection!

This piece was being created last fair by one of the live artists. She creates using embroidery floss and glue.

The “red tape cape” caught my eye and also required closer inspection to see the lining sewn together with tax document printed on fabric.

It was nice to have the place almost all to ourselves!

The rain started again so we donned our gear and made our way south. After our Fine Art building experience, I was curious about the Ag/Hort building. There was much more I wanted to see in there, including another pass at the Crop Art. There is always something I miss.

Along the way, we stopped in at the DFL. There’s a drawing for an Apple Watch snd my Fitbit is dying, so the DFL now has me on the mailing lists again, and the Political Plinko game revealed my true future…Twitter bot.

I needed some dinner, so I got myself a giant egg roll at Que Viet. So crispy and delicious!

We entered the hexagonal, six winged building and found ourselves almost entirely alone. The only space where some people gathered was in the crop art area. I’d try that again later.

We could capture full range images of the floral displays without single fairgoer in the shot!

I got to see the Gladiolus Show all alone.

And we waited in line for zero seconds to get our Apple products from the Minnesota Grown Apple booth!

I was sure there’d be a crowd checking out the prize winning veggies, but I was wrong!

Just me & the pumpkins…and eggplant and beets….

Curious as to the true measure of crowds at the fair, we took a stroll down Judson. The street that runs from the Haunted House down to the Coliseum. It’s Saturday night at 7pm and we still had more than elbow room.

Tucked behind the Minnesota Lottery booth is a giant orange Adirondack chair, painted by our favorite state fair artist Adam Turman. E and I climbed in and slid ~all~ the way back!

As we were taking our own pictures, the people that walked past (the few in number that were) all asked if we needed someone to take our photo. After three inquiries, we again declined, but told the next group that what what we really needed were snacks! It would be an interesting social experiment to see if we handed $10 to someone, they would take the money and run, or actually return with food! My guess, since it’s Minnesota, we’d get snacks! One passerby suggest that we “food dude” that. I had to look it up, but it’s a food delivery service outside the metro. It got me thinking about an app/business running state fair food for people on the grounds, or out into the neighborhood! “Go-fer” delivery service, with green/white & blue/white striped uniform!

The view from our chair was great! No people, the rocket launcher ride, and tired feet!

When we told the last photo inquiring passerby about our need for snacks, his response was the best. “You can’t get out of the chair, can you?” We we’re pretty sure we could, it just wouldn’t be pretty!

The rain stopped and so we’d flung our rain gear off again. Every time I took off my poncho this evening, E was there to catch the mask that was dislodged from my face, or from its other position, dangling on my ear. This time was no exception! I was grateful, since I’d just purchased these new masks ($$ and effective) for the fair and they were definitely not disposable.

We thought we’d try our empty building luck with the Miracle of Birth Center. Jackpot again! It did take a few minutes for me to realize that there are no live birth events taking place this year, which is the biggest draw for this space. I’m sure it’s to mitigate crowds and keep all the livestock staff and students safe. There are still lots of cute baby animals, and I’ll try to stop back another time to see the duck slide in action!

The rain started up a bit heavier, and there was a stream of people departing for the Como Gate snd some seeking shelter, but we decided to duck into the coliseum anyway. I bought some of the Simply Nuts butter toffee peanuts that I love so much. With the high humidity and rain, the nuts were super sticky and soggy, but it didn’t stop me from devouring them! E and her son, who just got dropped back at college, typically share the Australian Battered Potatoes. I’ve never had them (battered & fried) but I know there is usually a very long line to get them. Tonight, not so much.

We took shelter under the little food court, provided by the Foot Long Hot Dog stand across the street. As a good, polite, Minnesotan and because I’d eaten too many sweet, sticky peanuts, I felt I needed to patronize the establishment that was hosting us, so I got my second foot long dog.

I did try a bite of the potatoes, but it was a big NOPE. There was cheesy, bacony, starchy deliciousness…but the battered and not fried crispy enough part, stopped me cold.

We put our rain gear on again and just meandered through what was left of the people. Stopping by the Star Tribune, we snagged more cookie chapstick, but also scored the bonus of the 2020 ~fair that wasn’t~ flavor, cheese curds!

The Giant Slide, which is open this year, was once again closed for business in the rain.

I think we can safely say that the crowds typically gathered here on the street are patrons or viewers of the slide.

It was our friend Dave’s birthday up at the Ball Park, so when E made a quick detour for cookies to-go, I stopped up to give my greetings. I found these dear old friends there too!

I was told that there is a new wooden figure up in the Ball Park Bleachers, that I would come back to see in the daylight.

Elysia and I decided we’d done enough and I knew my feet had a couple more volunteer shifts coming up, so we made our way, once again, past the sparse crowd at the Leinie Bandshell, the empty tables at O’Garas and could see through the empty halls of the “Creative A-ties” Building.

As we waited to cross Snelling, I commented on my lonely walk back to the car. E said she’d walk with me if I would drop her back at her park & ride. I jumped at the idea! I guess the bus isn’t always a bed of roses and I was grateful for the company! We walked to my car and E waited across the yard, so I could pull out and let her in. I flung my poncho off one last time, not realizing my mask went flying too. E wasn’t there to catch it.

My first volunteer shift started at 3:00pm today, so planned to head out around 2:00. I had a party to bake for today, (my new home business is Heather’s Holiday Treats… shameless plug) and so the morning was spent at home, blogging, baking and boxing up cookies!

I packed for rain and drove over to the neighborhood. I know that there are lots of people opting out of the fair this year, but the lack of traffic is striking! I parked and walked up to the gate, discovering along the way, my friend “the water guy” was back doing his schtick! We chatted for a bit and I learned he contracted Covid early on, but luckily survived without too many long haul symptoms. His daughter is with him, keeping tabs and making sure he doesn’t overdo it.

It was so strange to be waiting alone to cross Snelling Ave on a Friday afternoon, no crowds, no lines…just walked over and through the metal detectors, happy that I left my steel key fob behind today!

It’s Governor’s Fire Prevention day and I was tasked to find something for a friend, so I ran up to the North End, (where all the activities were, last fair) to find nothing. I later learned it was back near the Grandstand this year.

I didn’t eat lunch at home due to my busy morning, so I enjoyed my first foot long in two years!

My job at the Forest today was Welcome/Greeter and chief of crown distribution! it was a bit more quiet than I’ve ever known it, but I brought a few new visitors in! It’s fun to watch the kids work so hard to fill out the game cards and witness the persistence and effort put in to earn that blue ribbon! It’s usually so busy, I don’t have time to watch the magic happen! Tonight a dad and his five year old son returned, damp and bedraggled, to claim a well earned ribbon. I asked if they had fun and Dad said “this game was everything today” ❤️

At my shift end, my friend E and I joined up for dinner and a little more exploring. It was her first day out this year, and she’s unsure how many more she’ll attend. Before we left the Forest, we took a noodle photo! Our noses out was our attempt at humor!

E has been a coach & mentor for the RAHS robotics team and wanted to pop into the Education Building to see the team robot. I was curious about who and what I might find too. We were met with signs recommending but not requiring masks and a table of encouragement.

I stood aghast at what I was witnessing. E suggested I take a panoramic for full effect.

We found the blue ribbon robot, but not much else.

Usually filled with wall after wall and display case upon case, the school art showcase was definitely smaller this year. I’m guessing distance learning had an impact. I still found a few treasures of impressive young artists displayed.

We didn’t stay long. The place seemed so sad. Lonely volunteers, one to a booth, with empty spaces between each other and no fair goers to interact with. I wonder how things will progress throughout the fair. Will the booths dwindle? Will volunteers not return? I’ll check back.

I decided dinner would come from the International Bazaar, so as we walked, we marveled at all the elbow room this Fair Friday night!

We passed a pop-up booth and all I saw were the words “free alcohol”… upon closer inspection, they were not in that order!

Across the street the Natural Landscape Minnesota area has expanded and they have a whole shop with stone seating, garden critters and fairy houses…. Or as E called them, a $150 rock with a door!

They have a few houses with two doors, and E said you pay a premium for the walk- through!

I had to keep telling myself I have enough owls in my garden, and none of the critters really “spoke” to me, (except maybe that penguin) so I wasn’t impelled to buy one.

The Bazaar, being an open air venue, was a bit more crowded than other spaces, so I donned my mask and got myself some Island Noodles for dinner. They weren’t the best I’d had, but not sure how long the noodles sit in the wok when it’s not busy!

E tried the slushies and liked it! We meandered while we ate & drank and found our way to Mom & Dads bench, where we rested for a spell before heading towards the West End. If have trouble finding a bench this year…your eyes must be closed.

I wanted to check out the art in progress area, and on our way we passed the WCCO 4 area, where there is no live broadcast, just a lonely big screen tv.

Sadly, the fire prevention day displays and events were all gone as we passed the ramp. I’d asked E to check earlier, and it was almost empty when she was there around 5pm. (Sorry Helen! No potholders for any of us!)

This year, so far, there is no specific time for chapstick distribution at the Star Trib. You can walk up anytime to get your cookie flavor. E thought they nailed it! These guys seem to have all the best t-shirt designs. I liked this one best.

We arrived at the mural space and learned it’s called Joyful World. The artists will be randomly working on their art between 11am-3pm daily. A few of the spaces showed progress!

I took E to see the Fluffy Donut stand, but we decided to share some French fries instead. I don’t eat these often anymore… so I enjoyed every bite!

This is the booth near the Midway….at 8pm… on a Friday night. “Line forms here” ? What line?

The West End, another open air food and marketplace was hopping. Despite being open air, I masked up due to the over-peoply nature of the space. I wanted to check in on my friend Sarah @ i like you.

Many of the vendors here have exterior tables set up to push the wares out of the cubicles for easier open access, and created one way traffic flow.

There’s a lot of cute stuff down here.

E found some garden whimsy!

I might have to come back for my own!

As we walked through, I was reminded of all the tasty foods found here! Lulu’s bites and The Creamery waffle ice cream sandwich. I’ll have to come back. No waiting for anything at Lulus either!

Even the glassblowers at Foci Glass art studio are cashing in on Covid! Glass masks!

If you’re interested in another kind of walking tour, there is a list and map of all the “Adopt a Garden” spaces around the grounds. I notice many of them, but this one in particular caught my eye! That table is so cool, resin poured over wood cuts.

My feet were telling me it was time to start making my way back closer to home, so we walked up Dan Patch and stopped to say Hi to Deb at Juanita’s. We were discussing the challenges this fair was presenting this far and she shared an interesting tidbit. The fair couldn’t get its logo cup orders filled! Ironically, they sold them all to the general public, in sleeves last year during “no fair” and I told Deb, I could share some of my stash… unless they’re collectors items now!

Despite the challenges, lower attendance numbers and all the rain, the general consensus is that we’re are just glad to be back!

I needed to fill my water, so we ducked in the back end of the empty Grandstand. I remember it’s a fair Friday, not Tuesday and shake my head disbelieving.

I needed to confirm the Giant Slide stays, and it’s indeed open for business. Just not much business. It must have a weather related temporary shutdown yesterday.

There was no waiting for a Vikings Minnesota photo op!

and more shocking, open tables at the Ball Park Cafe. Glad for the Ball Park guys, that the tables here are more full than other vendors!

I was in need of blueberry pie, so we rounded the food building and I peered inside at one of the most jarring sights of all. No one waiting in line for The Mouth Trap cheese curds!

The pie guys were just baking up some fresh Boozy Blueberry and Berry Blitzed, so we prepaid and took a seat outside in the open, ~wide~ open, food court.

They came to find us to let us know our pies were ready!

I ate this one, but also got one to go for my parking hostess Sonja!

Sister Sledge was performing at the Leinie Bandshell so we walked towards home in that direction. Typically, we’d need to find a spot in the street at the back to catch a glimpse as we listen, but tonight we could have had our pick of seats. We didn’t stay to hear We Are Family, as I’m guessing it would have been the last one on the playlist, and my feet were kaput.

I was tempted to stop for a beverage at the also empty, O’Gara’s, but I was afraid if I sat down I might not get up again for a long time!

We went through the gates, noticing a very small contingent that were heading ~in~ with three hours left of fun to be had!

We crossed Snelling and I left E boarding her park & ride shuttle and I walked alone back to the car. I was a tad melancholy, missing family that I’d typically be with and contemplating the state of a-fairs, behind me!

We’ll see how another 12K steps makes my feet feel tomorrow! Hoping for a day without, or simply less rain! I’ll be back in the Forest at 3:00!

Out the door at 5:15 to make our way to our new parking spot at Bart & Sonja’s this year. It’s just a couple doors down from the old spot, but it was emotional returning to the neighborhood. We haven’t been back since we sold the house. This yard lot is a bigger operation than we’re used to, but painted parking lines and a sign helped us find our spot in the dark!

Under a waning full moon, anxiety high and unsure of what to expect, Jack and I headed to the Snelling gate.

Despite all the promotion and traffic brought to the West End Transit Hub and entrance gates, the Snelling Gate 5 will always be known as the “main gate” and it’s where all the news and camera crews set up to capture the moments. A long line had formed when we arrived at 5:50 and we could see the new security system set up under tents, just inside the arches. We ran into my cousins Karla & Steve and hooked up with our early morning History Walking Tour companions Andrea, Shannon and a new friend Megan! The countdown clock hit zero, the bells clanged and the people cheered as we began our Great Minnesota Get BACK Together experience… whatever that will be this year!

Holding a paper ticket that Randy won in a golf tourney this past week, and giving Jack one of the $10 special tickets purchased two years ago during the holiday sale, we walked through the gate. The gate attendants had no scanners, so those in my party with e-tickets got in free. I have lots of e-tickets, but not us, not today. Whoops.

Metal detectors are new this year. MPR photographer caught this picture of my cousin walking through!

I sailed through, but Jack triggered the sensor. We assumed it would be the steel toe boots, but it turned out to be the heavy, metal, heart key fob that used to be my moms, that Jack offered to carry for me today.

Once inside we took a right up Cosgrove to find our punch cards and start the History Walking Tour. We do it backwards, and stop #12 is all the way up in front of the Fine Art Building.

Bad selfie’s will be the standard this year, as I’m reluctant to let anyone else touch my camera. A guy offered to take our photo, almost insisted, and it took three of us to decline.

The forecast for the day was stormy, but it was unusual that the Big Wheel was unlit and at a standstill. Staff issues? Uncertainty with attendance? Weather? Who knows.

There were almost 300 foundation benches added to the grounds this year. I’m sure the limited grounds crew staff were overwhelmed getting them unloaded. Benches were stacked, crowded, and placed willy-nilly all over. Steve found the “time out” bench and took a short break!

So far our walk had not revealed anything new this year, but there was much more open space in Baldwin Park and along the boulevards heading north. Steve, our official puncher, found a punch missing at stop #10. We have photographic evidence we were there, but the trusting volunteers at the end at the Bailey house, rarely question the sincerity of our efforts!

The New North End plaza hasn’t changed, same stuff as last year. Adam Turman structures, the corn stalk sculpture with social media image capture up top. So far it’s just the corn image.

As we turned the corner, we spied a new feature. Hand washing stations! I am hoping to limit my time inside buildings including bathrooms, so being able to wash up outdoors is a plus! We’ll see how the maintenance of these keeps up through the next 12 days.

We found a couple new food vendors way up here on the north, near the new Sweet Martha building. Scenic 61, Baba’s and Spinning Wylde. Nothing is open yet…. It’s only 6:45am.

We also found this bench. I know we have a Jeanette in the family, but unsure if this is our relative! I love her state fair advice!

Our walk takes us past the PBS/TPT booth and Jack took my pictures with some of my favorite kids favorite characters!

We had to snake back through the silent, eerie empty Kidway to find punch #8. This was also a good opportunity to remind my group mates where to find my EpiPen in case of emergency!

Jack thought it would have been a good idea to add masks to the faces of these hard working union members this year!

Due to Jack’s transition and Covid, we had some concerns about finding restrooms and filling water bottles. I used to use any old drinking fountain or potty in a pinch! Not now. Luckily the newer bathroom facilities all have filtered water bottle fillers on the exterior and lots of “family restroom” spaces, which is as good as it gets for gender neutrality here at the fair.

As we turned down Dan Patch, we found our first real “sign” of the ramifications of Covid at the Hamline Church Dining Hall. I don’t think they have a new ice cream flavor this year, but hoping they might still have the delicious Dessa flavor from 2019.

I stopped to check out the new Corn Roast Building. it doesn’t look much different on the surface, but I know they built a bunker in the rear that has air conditioning and other amenities to help keep the kids working, safe & healthy!

The flowers are beautiful as ever, despite the drought this summer!

The flowers along the Blue Barn were stunning and caught my eye

This was the slowest pace we’d ever taken on the tour, and we arrived at the halfway point as restaurants were opening for breakfast. Andrea loves the all day breakfast waffle, so we stopped at the newly, greatly expanded Nordic Waffle house! You can get them at grocery stores, but Andrea said, these are just so. much. better.

Randy texted about a new donut place (where the Adventure Park used to be) he just saw on the morning news. We went to check out Fluffy’s. Jack decided this is an OK substitution for the former breakfast of choice, the Fudge Puppy.

The next punch was all the way down at the Swine barn and since we were moving so slowly, all the animal barns were open and not crowded…yet. Masks are not required at the fair this year, but as responsible citizens, we have them and will wear them when prudent. I appreciate the signs on all the buildings, but not many were masked once inside.

We masked up and saw as many animals as we could!

I saw this big container of sheep at the Baa Booth so I inquired as to what one had to do to get a sheep. He said the sheep were simply a guessing game, but just because I stopped to visit, I won a prize!

The horse barns were busier, and we had much left on our walking tour…plus, I was late for breakfast, so we pressed on.

We wandered through the DNR park to see the fish and from recent news reports, we knew the building would be closed to visitors, but still, another sign of the times.

Another new vendor this year offers all the tastes of “fair food” in a gluten free option! They weren’t open yet, but Shannon was happy and I texted the info to Kathleen! I will stop at the HealthFair11 building later to get a picture of all the gluten free options at the fair this year.

We only had two more punches to finish the tour, but I was hungry and so I handed the punch cards to Jack and left the group for a detour. I stopped to find the benches. They were not far removed from the original placements. I love that they are kitty corner from each other and near the parade route.

It was after 8:00, so I hurried in to get my breakfast pie! Boozy Blueberry #1! Sara looked a little tired already, managing lots of staff, parking, equipment and other behind the scenes management issues, but I know there’s a big smile behind the mask! I’m grateful for her location so I only have to duck inside the doors to grab my pie snd do out again! I don’t think I will venture any further inside this year.

As I was trying to capture the photo of the menu options, a man literally reached in and started to pull the menu away from me. You can see his fingers! Sorry it’s blurry!

I popped into the Ball Park to wish Dave all the best this fair season! We’ll be back for garlic fries and burgers another day! They have lots of new beer to try!

I rejoined the group near the Bailey House and as I devoured the last bite of my pie, and wiped away the remnants from my face, the crew was not convinced that I only got one! We turned in our punch cards, collected our prize bag and I took a photo of our buddies before they healed way up north to the Brim for gluten free breakfast! So fun to share this annual tradition!

I collected my “Friends of the Fair” member benefits and got to vote with a Pom Pom as to my pick for what the foundation should use funds to focus on in the coming year. My pick was accessibility, equity and sustainability!

Jack and I were both pretty tired! Not enough sleep or general activity for either of us in preparation for the fair. He’s only 8 weeks post-op and I’ve been battling plantar fasciitis! It was 8:45am and we’d walked almost five miles. We rested on a bench for a bit knowing our next stop on our limited agenda was being at the Ag/Hort building when they opened at 9:00am to meet Gayle and check her crop art submission status. Last year was a big year and knowing it would be hard to top, Gayle’s only goal was to see her art up on the wall. Many submissions don’t ever make it that far! We found Gayle & Mark waiting patiently (?) at the big closed doors !

We followed them in and there it was, on the wall! A purple ribbon of merit was a bonus!

Lots of other humorous, timely, poignant submissions too!

We did not linger, as the crowd grew immense as we finished our perusal of the wall. Time to flee the people!

Jack was ready for a nap, so we found two Leinie Reclinie’s and he settled in, while I departed for a short jaunt down to find a couple items of little interest to the youth.

First stop was to check the Star Tribune booth for the new Sweet Martha’s Cookie flavor chapstick! ✔️check!

Then I’d read about a new live interactive art installation happening in the space where the Adventure Park bungee jumper used to be. It was still early, so there was no active art being created, but I found evidence of what was in process and what might be to come. I was pleased to note that 90% of the artists were people of color. I’m excited to see what will transpire here every day!

Walking back up to find Jack, I saw some unusual sights!

It was 9:30 in the morning and there was no one at Sweet Martha’s cookie booth. There was lots of foot traffic all around, but this was strange to me! Take a look at that clean, smashed-cookie free sidewalk too!

I passed the bench, only to find a kid and his sheep chatting with Mom & Dad!

I ran into a couple dear new friends from my Tipsy Pie bakery job last fall! The Danielson clan and Tipsy Pies are an intermingled bunch!

Jack didn’t rest much, due to the presence of some ground bees, giving him some trouble, so I sat for about 30 seconds and we pressed on. Jack has been working on an original cross-stitch project he designed based on an image from his favorite game Borderlands. He’s just come to understand that people submit cross-stitch into the fair! (How did he not learn this sooner?!?) We decided to mask up and check out Creative Activities. I really do want to see it all, but I fear the crowds will just increase, making it less likely I’ll want to enter buildings. I imposed a 30 minute limit in the building, so we just raced through. There is so much more to see, but we saw the special minnesota landmark cake entries, the blue ribbon cookies (I like to see how I measure up!) and Jack took a minute to chat with folks from the Needle Art Guild to learn more. They pointed us towards this sweepstakes winning cross-stitch cat. It looked like you could reach out and pet it!

Cakes & Cookies

There were amazing wood & metal sculptures along with beautiful glasswork! Reminds me of Chiluhily!

There was to be no food sample, meandering through the rest of the Annex or into the Education building. I’ll have to see if there is another opportunity to check it out, late day, and more empty of people.

I wanted the recipe cards for the roundup again this year, but instead of recipes, I just found boxes of masks. Another sign of the times!

I went to office window and inquired and was personally handed a card. They were still trying to figure out the best disbursement method!

I’ll do a recipe compilation blog at the end of the fair. Today’s recipe was for a Coconut Praline Ring!

I had yet to see friends at the Alphabet Forest, so that was my next stop. One of my favorite children’s authors was creating pet adoption crafts with kids today!

For my former kids and families…. This is guy who wrote Moo!

I’ll be volunteering here for seven days this year. I included a picture of my schedule, if anyone wants to stop up and visit!

We ran into Gayle & Mark again! They asked us to accompany them up to the end of the block to see something special! They got themselves an anniversary bench…instead of a trip to Alaska. Another sign of the times!

Hanging out near the bench, we encountered Trista & Julie! In all the years we’ve been at the fair at the same time, we’ve never run into each other. Maybe it’s due to it not being very crowded!

It was reported there was a scavenger hunt with prizes including free lightbulbs in the Eco Building, so we headed that way. This is one place we found where masks are ~not~ optional! We were greeted with another “sign of the times” and wondered where the scavenger hunt was to be found.

Turns out the Excel Energy booth is the host and we completed the task with some hints from the volunteers!

My phone battery was completely drained already because I failed to shut off the wifi search function and my phone was set to never sleep because I was doing so much work on it recently. Whoops! There is a (very slow) charging station inside the ECO building and Jack relaxed outside while I stood with my phone for almost an hour watching the different reactions of people as they approached the building reading the mask signs. Many turned around and left. I felt pretty safe as I was right next to the door and the place was mostly empty. FYI: The restrooms in here are closed. Not sure if it’s permanent or just today.

We snuck around the barricade so we could fill our water bottles though!

With a semi-charged phone, water and a change of socks for Jack, we decided we need to eat some lunch! We saw earlier that our favorite Gyro place from Baltimore MD, made the trek back here this here, so, onward to Dimitri’s!

It was busy! What?!?

We decided to take the less trodden path past the Heffernen Pavillion, under the sky glider, dumping us out on the Grandstand pavilion. Just a hop, skip and a jump to lunch! The sky was spitting a little, so we grabbed our Gyros and found a seat under the canopy in back of the booth.

So good this Gyro!

There has been a severe drought here all summer, and the grass around the grounds is patchy at best. I found a green spot earlier but realized it was all new sod.

But Jack and I found a more realistic representation of the current situation. It would be funny if this year, with all the rain predicted, the grass is greener at the end of 12 days. My guess is simply a mud pit.

After lunch we walked to find a spot for the parade. With fewer people and more benches, we didn’t anticipate any trouble.

Strange sights this year are the empty or gated TV and radio stations. No one is broadcasting anything live from the fair this year, so MPR was barren and FOX9 all gated up!

The strangest was the empty Giant Slide with CLOSED signs. We are hoping this is only due to the incoming storm prediction!

There was a band dad sitting alone on a perfect bench we spied walking up the street. We asked if we could join him and struck up a conversation…. Of course! His daughter was in the Farmington marching band so he was positioned to take pictures. We talked a lot about the new gluten free stuff since his daughter has Celiac. She’s 16 so they’re pretty good at finding the right spots to eat. They didn’t know about the list you can find at HealthKare11 building though!

We waited for the parade and ran into more friends! Rhonda, her daughter Kathleen and a college roommate! Little did we know, we’d be hanging together for the next 90 minutes!

The parade started as usual with the mounted color guard followed by a couple floats carrying princesses and mascots.

After a few parade units passed by, all the phones in the vicinity started blaring and announcing severe weather with lightning and 50+ mph winds was moving in. As I looked up from my phone and felt a few raindrops penetrate the tree canopy we were sitting under, I saw something I’ve never see before…. A parade retreating!

Participant vehicles were making u-turns, horses were trotting back from whence they came and shortly thereafter, the first marching band was coming back down the road!

The rain was just a sprinkle at this point, but we decided to get moving and possibly home. As the wind starting whipping up and the rain got more intense, we decided to duck into the HealthFair11 building to get a picture of that gluten free list that had been discussed so often today. This was another place where masks were required. We were happy to oblige, masked up and sought refuge from the beginning deluge! The place was deserted aside from volunteers and a few visitors getting flu shots, blood typing and eye screenings. We found a spot to hang out and wait out the storm. The UCare volunteers were loved by many as they handed out plastic bag ponchos to many drenched souls who popped under the awning and into the building for a bit. We all came prepared for rain and didn’t need any, but were surprised by how many people carrying umbrellas and wearing raincoats asked for a poncho, maybe just because it’s another free thing at the fair. The downspout just outside the door created a rushing river, some of which came inside creating a small flood!

We were grateful for a masked, relatively dry spot, generally devoid of people to while away almost an hour! I received many texts from family and friends inquiring as to my whereabouts and concerned for my safety. Good to know how loved & cared about I am!

Rhonda et al, and Jack & I went our separate ways and after staring out the doorway looking at the Que Viet booth for an hour, Jack was hungry for wontons. I wasn’t hungry, so decided to save buying the giant egg roll for another day.

Everything was dripping water, the temperature dropped quickly and more severe weather was forecast in a couple hours. Knowing I had volunteer shifts in the coming days that my feet had to withstand, we decided that after 10 hours and 18K steps, it was time to head home.

It was a somewhat strange, yet familiar experience and overall, we were just happy to be back.

I did get a re-entry stamp…just in case.

After a year hiatus due to Covid, and seriously pondering if another year off due to the Delta Variant would be prudent, with masks in pockets and sanitizer packed we headed to the International Bazaar. Every year previously we have been given plates with a handle & cup holder. Not this year. I’m sure that financial concerns, supply issues and insecurity over the event being cancelled, the powers that be, went with a minimalist plan. No game tickets, just a punch card on the program back cover, no bags, no calendars, no frills.

We did not purchase a table this year, just individual tickets, but there were plenty of open tables on the outside that were less ~peopley~ so we claimed one and took turns making food runs to preserve our space.

The food vendors were very much the same as years past, some had new foods to taste, but most had the standard offerings. Sweet Martha’s had cookies, Poncho dogs had corn dogs, Big Dogs had the “St. Paul Dog” and the Corn Roast served corn. The spiciest were the bites from West Indies Soul Food, offering the chicken & beef patties and jerk wings.

Some old favorites had a new bite to taste. Dino’s had a new Greek stuffed ravioli. San Felipe offered a carnitas taco cone. Green Mill has a very salty, but tasty “pizza Lucy”. Juanita’s Fajitas gave us a taste of the Cuban sandwich that debuted at the 2019 fair.

I think the new taste I liked best was Sara’s debut Tipsy Pie flavor; Blue Raspberry Blitzed. It’s a fruit pie combo with apples, blueberries, raspberries and UV blue vodka. Yum! My favorite is still the sweet boozy blueberry lemon, but if you like a bit more tartness, this one is for you! 💙 I went to get one for me & one for Jack, but I ate them both before I even got a picture! Below are the flavors for this year.

We wandered back & forth from our staked out table, taking part in the raffle (no winners here), dodging bees and trying to stay hydrated in the 90° humidity. We did not get the handy carrying plates with cup holders this year, so my picture taking was limited as I needed both hands to carry stuff. Even two hands became problematic when holding food, napkins, my program, phone and I ordered wine & water. I promptly left the wine behind. (What was I thinking?) The nice bartenders at Shanghai’d Henri’s saved it for me ❤️. We did get one group shot. I typically have no problem asking a stranger to snap a quick photo…. but this year, I don’t want anyone else touching my phone. Terrible selfies will be the way it’s played this year!

I saw lots of dear friends, most of whom I only see once or twice a year… and here at the fair. The Theisens, Dave, Colleen & Danny et al, David & Cynthia, our church friends and talent show companions, Deb at Juanita’s (Danny was hiding… I mean working!!) and of course Sara (Tipsy Pies) my friend and now I can say former boss!

After we ate our fill, we wandered over so Michael could test his skill at the basketball game. He only wanted to win a prize in memory of Mom, who always won something and placed it on the ladder in the porch for any small kid, parking at the house, to claim during the 12 days of fun! The ladder is now at Mike’s house! We all offered up our program covers to get punched, but it only took two baskets and he won. I handed the extra ticket covers to some kids in line.

He won a super soft plush elephant! We all have enough basketballs from the last years!

We caught a glimpse of Fairborn & Fairchild, but again, not wanting anyone else to use my camera, I just took a pic from a distance. We’ll be seeing them often in the coming days. It might appear that one of the mascots is in need of ambulatory assistance, but sandwiched in between is an invisible elderly fair patron!

As the evening wound down, I waited in line to grab some cookies to go for Randy waiting at home. Who should be there but Sweet Martha herself filming her crew, working hard to keep up with demand.

We made our way out of the event and said our goodbyes, but “see you next week!” To Gayle. No idea who we’re looking at!

Jack & Michael decided they wanted to take advantage of the free Space Tower rides. I’m far too claustrophobic and don’t want to be trapped indoors with ~anybody~ currently, so Kathleen & I waited below.

After the second trip up and down, we all went for a walk to see if we could locate the benches.

Spoiler Alert: if you don’t want to know where the benches are, stop reading now and read the rest after the fair!

My friend David had clued me in to the locations, but it was fun to see for myself. We found Grammie’s first and she’d love the placement near the Horticulture Building.

Then we found Mom & Dad’s in front of Ye Olde Mill, but it was piled up with a bunch of other blue benches and far too close to the GOP booth. We picked it up and moved it down nearer the Tom Thumb Donuts at the other end of the Mill. I checked and the tape is still intact! We’re unsure if the benches will all get reshuffled, but for now, we all sat down to add some good mojo in hopes the bench would stay put, since now Mom & Dad & Grammie are kitty corner from each other!

The walk felt good after all the eating, despite the oppressive heat and humidity. Storms are supposed to roll in tomorrow and the weather outlook for the fair looks fantastic. We’ve been in a severe drought all summer and while we could use the rain, it looks like after the storms blow through, temps will regulate with highs in the 80’s and lows in the 60’s for much of the fair.

I’m writing this with excitement and trepidation as I think about what the fair will be like and how much I’ll be able to manage my re-entry anxiety. It’s been a long isolated 18 months and without mask mandates or required vaccines, the state fair is sure to be a super spreader event. I have new masks since I’ll be volunteering with kids at the Alphabet Forest for seven days, and other than to use a bathroom, and to pop into Ag/Hort on day one to see if Gayle wins another crop art blue ribbon, I don’t plan to go inside the buildings.

With the sale of our family homestead and annual fair parking access, I have contracted with one of Mom & Dads neighbors for in/out privileges for the full 12 days. It will be hard, sad, good, emotional, familiar and poignant to be back on Simpson St. after a two year absence.

I’ve also been struggling with severe plantar fasciitis for the past year so I know my days of clocking 20+K steps are most likely over, but with news that over 200 vendors are not returning, some buildings like the DNR will be closed for indoor viewing and there is a severe worker shortage (as everywhere), there may simply not be as much to see and do.

Who knows what this fair season will hold for me, but I’m going. I’ll be smart and as safe as I can, masked & vaccinated. It’s possible, my days will be shorter and I’ll be able to keep up with the blog daily…

Or not!