Since we’d done our traditional family day earlier in the week, I made plans to head over early with Sally. I picked her up at 8:00 and we drive over without any traffic at all.

I parked for the last time this year at the Mackey’s. I’m so grateful for the spot. Not just the ability to park every day and come and go as I please, but it’s the sharing of stories at the end of the day and the feeing of family. It’s like coming home. I’m lucky.

The fair was relatively empty. We had plenty of space to move through and get what we needed. Sally needed a scone from the French Meadow. Between 8 and 9 am nothing is open but food and there aren’t a ton of breakfast places. The only lines this morning were for Anchor coffee and (of course) French Meadow.

I had a stop to make in the Grandstand, but it wasn’t open yet, so we sat outside so Sally could eat. I stopped to check in with Deb @ Juanita and I thought she looked great for Day 12!

Once the building opened, I led Sally to the place she thought she bought socks from last year in the Merchandise Mart. She didn’t get any, but I decided to try some. Mmmm bamboo!

My goal was to buy my nordic ware bacon pan. It’s $7 cheaper here than the store and when I bought it today it was discounted further! $10 off!

I finished my shopping and waited outside the Grandstand as Sally filled her water and I thought about standing in a mister. I didn’t.

The Hmong Minnesota Day festivities were setting up behind us. Craft activities and giveaways, as well as performances.

Today I spun wheels and picked up more swag than any other day out here. I got a rice paddle, chapstick, hand sanitizer, stickers and erasers. I have no idea why.

The dancers were beautifully dressed.

I hadn’t spent much time in Dan Patch Park and noticed the KSTP mural for the first time. Too hot for a selfie or to ask a stranger for a picture. There weren’t many people around!

There were two buildings I did not visit yet. The HealthFair11 and the DNR. I never get to the health fair, but today I saw the DNR. Michael didn’t remember that we had family bricks in the taxidermy wing of the building so I walked through looking for them. It’s so dark and my vision is terrible, so I asked to see a map of the area. Turns out they’re all alphabetical (sort of) but I found out Kelsey Family one, the Clive & Mary brick and the one Linda did in honor of my Aunt Judy . They’re hard to see even in a photo with the reflective paint.

There’s a master list if you ask!

We wandered through DNR Park a bit. Found the shortest state hiking trail.

And shocking news, the fire danger is high.

I still wanted to get my last recipe card and Sally wanted to stop in the Merchandise mart. The sun was hot and temps were climbing over 90°.

Leaving the park I took in the view surrounding Mom & Dads bench. Said my goodbye for this year. The streets are not crowded at all.

Trying to follow the shady streets we walked by the Ball Park and ran into a mutual friend a Jean & her husband. They were on a hydration beer tour!

In the merchandise mart, Sally didn’t find anything she needed, but once again I did. The muddy rug people are there. I bought one a while ago and it works great for snowy muddy paws. I bought one for the front door. They’re also machine washable.

Sally stopped up to the Education Building while I got the last recipe card in my set.

I sat on a shady bench and when Sally got back we chatted a while longer not ready to walk out into the sun. We’d done a lot and walked about three miles. But I was ready to go. I got a stamp as I left thinking I might return.

Once I got home I started cleaning my house, changed the sheets and took a shower. That was all she wrote. Tomorrow is a work day.

I caught up on the blogs, so I don’t forget like last year. I may take the time to update those posts later. I still have all the photos on my phone to jog my memory.

I also added up my logged steps for the 12 days. I averaged 12,500 per day. I walked almost 150,000 steps which for me is the equivalent of 75 miles. No wonder I’m a little tired!

I looked at the attendance numbers for the previous days and yesterday was low! 141,000. That’s like a Monday, not a Saturday. I’ll be curious to see where the totals end up.

Until next year!

Sunday was warm. I like the heat, but not as much when you’re elbow to elbow with people all vying for the shady spots. I stayed home, put my feet up, sorted mail and caught up with the blog then finished laundry and stayed cool until I went over about 5:00 to have dinner and maybe see a show.

I had two extra tickets to sell. Often I have far too many, but I never did any volunteering this season, so I didn’t accumulate tickets. The crowds coming into the fair were very thin, and it’s harder to sell them as most people want to use credit. I typically could Venmo, Zelle or PayPal, but not with my current banking issues. I finally found a buyer just as Mike & Kathleen arrived at the gate.

The fair was so deserted for a Labor Day Weekend. It has to be the heat keeping people away, and cutting the day shorter. I don’t mind, as the lines are short and there’s more elbow room!

Food & beverages were top of the list. I stopped for a margarita and Kathleen decided on Juanita’s for dinner.

Then we made a pass through the renovated Grandstand to see all my usual suspects at the talent show finals. I did not see a single show this year. With no skin in the game, the heat and uncomfortable seats, I decided to just say hi, and move on.

The new party decks are nice addition, with very expensive standing room only tickets.

I found the Sell sisters!

Our friends and parking hosts, the Mackey’s

And way up too were David & Cindy. They went higher to get out of the sun and I didn’t realize it, but the seats up here don’t have arm rests, so my butt and hips might survive an evening sitting there!

This is not my first sighting of Fairborne, but it was the first time he was standing long enough for a photo! Not sure where Fairchild was, but I took a quick pic and forgot to wish him happy 40th birthday!

There are lots of open chair seats on the mezzanine and the floor tonight, but we decided to keep moving.

Keeping well hydrated is important, so I returned for my second serving of margaritas.

We strolled through carousel park on the way back to the west end and I saw there was new art this year. One artist who is from Tanzania and residing in Minneapolis was finishing up his piece in the setting sun.

There are three other new ones.

We returned to the west end and I wanted to check out a booth I missed. Feed My Starving Children have a spot out here with fair trade merch benefitting the organization. I found my annual star ornament.

I was hungry for something from Lulu’s, but when we got there, the booth was staffed for only the two front lines. They were long and I didn’t feel like waiting. We sat and listened to the Tom Petty tribute band “Petty Comes Alive”. We really enjoyed the set.

We walked the back way and checked out the old farmstead cabin. There’s a booth abutting the cabin now, so no window access or ability walk around it.

The History & Heritage Center is supposed to be air conditioned, but it either gave out, or just couldn’t keep up with the amount of people. The doors were all open and it was stifling. We didn’t stay.

Soul Asylum was playing at the bandshell, but I didn’t realize they’d be ending so early despite starting at 7:30. We did arrive in time to hear them play Rhinestone Cowboy. Something that would only happen at the fair!

No talent show and the heat allowed my friend Elysia & her family a third row view for the show.

Elysia & her brother Brian found us after at the back. It was towel wiping head hot!

Elysia hadn’t eaten, so we walked over to O’Gara’s to sit under the misters. E got a burger and some grilled cheese bites. They smelled great, but I was skeptical of the level of doneness. I opened one up and nope! Not cooked enough. It might have been soggy bread, but whatever it was, I couldn’t eat it.

I went to fill my water bottle and E came along as I convinced her to share a lemon sorbet from the lemonade stand. It was really small for $5, but tart and refreshing!

Kathleen & Brian connected and learned they had some common threads of people living in Detroit Lakes. Small world!

We listened to the fireworks, but didn’t move from our comfortable seats to see them. As we headed out it was strange to see the Poncho Dog booth closed up for the night. They’re usually open to the end. Must have been really small crowds today and too much heat to warrant staying open.

This is likely my last evening out here this year. I have a few items to finish tomorrow and then reality sets in.

Today there was lots to do around the house. Handyman was returning to install (the correct) garage door, there were piles of laundry and a sink full of dishes. Our handyman, Joe, is from Italy and he asked for tomatoes. They have been ripening on the vine and I’ve been able to ignore them until now.

Jack helped me pick a bucket for Joe and about four buckets for us. I also found jalapeños, green, yellow and red pepper, and a bunch of cherry tomatoes.

The only thing missing to make salsa, was onions and garlic. I ran to the farmers market and completed the list.

I spent the day saucing, canning, and washing and wasn’t sure if I had the energy to go to the fair in the heat.

I texted my friend Sally, who I neglected to check in with sooner during the fair, and she was willing to go over and hang out a bit.

It was hot, so we moved slowly and I didn’t really have an agenda, and Sally had a couple things she’d missed on her other visits. We had to take the SPAM picture. They returned after last years hiatus. I am not a fan of the stuff, but Sally loves it!

We made a stop at the cream puff booth. No dairy for me, so despite the incredible smell of fresh baked puffs wafting out of the building, I declined a sample.

The cream was gonna melt pretty fast, so we decided to see if there was a table at the Ball Park, enjoy a beverage and garlic fries and catch up. We’re chatters, us two! There was a quick detour for margaritas.

There was an opening at the end of a couple tables together and when I asked the couple sitting there, if we could sit at the end, I heard a voice say “No! We’re sitting there!” I turned a bit surprised to find my former boss Tina and her husband Craig. I wasn’t sure if he was serious, but he’d been kidding. They were done sitting and ready to move on!

I remembered to use my coupon this time and asked Colleen (owner) if they had any mayo. Turns out the burger line has some. I asked and a nice kid grabbed me a couple packets so I could make some KB Sauce (mustard mayo) to enhance the tasty garlic fries!

The sun was setting and thankfully there was a slight breeze. It got up to 90°, but the temp had dropped slightly.

We chatted and ate and relaxed for about an hour or so, and the chairs are nice for a bit, but not for long term lounging. I needed to move a bit. We wandered up to listen to the end of the Meat Loaf tribute band but Sally wanted to catch the end of the Twins Game. I’d been able to see the screens at the Ball Park, but she hadn’t. It was the bottom of the 10th and we were up by three runs. Just had to get out of the inning. We found a tv at the DISH booth and sat to see the Twins pull out a win.

We left the fair and after we made plans to go back to the fair together on Monday, I dropped Sally at home and turned the corner to see the moon. Not quite as super as it was, but still a thing to see!

The next two days are gonna be hot. I’m not sure how much time I can spend over there. I thought it smelled bad on day three, but with no rain and the heat, it’s deteriorated greatly! The fair was pretty empty tonight, but I’m curious how busy the day was. Attendance numbers have been good, but not record setting. They were saying it could fall into the top five highest attended fairs, but the heat this weekend will affect it I’m sure. I’ll post the attendance numbers at the end.

I was up at 5:30, and texted my friend Joan and asked if she wanted to go out for donuts. Her response “Amish Donut?” …yup!

I picked her up at 6:30 and we were third in line at the gate. As the gates opened, they informed us we had to move to a different gate. Only one security scanning system was working. Despite being farther back in a new line, we were the first people turning right and heading up Cosgrove.

Every day I’ve been on the north end, I’ve looked for the one bench I didn’t find on day one. Joan’s moms’ bench. Apparently I just needed Joan with me to spot it. The second green bench in front of 4H.

Even with the detour we were first in line for donuts.

The couple that were in front of us at the gate, who ended up behind us when the line moved, joined us in short order. They’d gotten the donuts on day one and were coming back for more. Not realizing it didn’t open until 9:00am, they didn’t have time to stay. We weren’t alone long, as people started lining up behind us.

Things we heard as we stood in line: “they’re donuts, it should be open earlier”, “I’m not gonna wait in line for something that’s not open yet”, (looking at watch reading 7:20am) “it’s not open until 9:00?!?” and my personal favorite “oh hell no!”. A kid came out and cleaned off the counters and set up the donut price sign at 8:00.

The gal (in pink) behind me asked him if they ever open a little early. He leaned in and told her they’d be open in ten minutes! The line now stretched all the way back to the Fine Art doors.

The windows opened and I got the first donut off the rack!

They’re small batch, hand cut and fried. The man himself Mr. Peachey making the donuts! I was so focused on the dough, I cut his head off. He pokes a hole and creates the ring by hand. No waste, no donut holes.

We took our coveted white bakery prize bags and sat on a nearby bench and devoured the first warm donut. My friend Trista saw us earlier and hopped in line and saw us eating and took our picture!

The line moved quickly and the got their prize too!

The main question everyone asks… “Are they worth it?” I guess I’d say yes. They’re different, and delicious.

Since we’d cut almost an hour off the wait, we had time to roam around a bit. This would be Joan’s only day out here. We checked out the Northwoods builders for housing ideas.

Then we walked down Underwood past the daily pop up and today it was my Kemps Cow! We grabbed the free ice cream sandwich and walked on.

If you need sunscreen in the coming days, Paddle North selling Sun Bum!

I saw a post that my favorite seasoning Livia’s was being offered at the Midway Men’s Club. The post indicated it was at the tables and on every burger. I looked and didn’t see it on tables, but the cooks provided proof of its use! No wonder they’re so tasty!

We swung through the Ball Park to be sure everybody was hanging in there on Day 9!

Next up, feeling lucky, we stopped at the lottery booth! Breaking even, but actually ahead with the hat bonus!

Thinking that this might be the only time there wouldn’t be a long line at Union Hmong Kitchen, we went into the Bazaar and we got lucky again! We got the Bao bun and the sausage that I never got last year. Both were good. The bun had an interesting texture, but the guts were amazing. We both liked the sausage best.

Joan was curious about the crop art chapstick, so we stopped to get a tube and made our way up the grandstand ramp to see Adam Turmans takeover of the upper level! Had to follow the selfie spot suggestion.

We love Adam Turman. So many cool new things, and maybe not new, but new to us. I loved the Loon. The lower part of the image is the Minneapolis skyline and the binary code creating the feathers is the year Minnesota became a state!

We were hoping to find the “geez Louise” sticker, but looking on the website they’re all sold out. Hoping they’ll restock at some point. I’m a fan of all these iconic sayings!

We wandered down to the West End and stopped to check out the stickers at i like you. I offered Sarah a donut, and she gladly accepted, but only needed a bite!

I usually wait til the last day to buy stuff when Randy has a scooter to carry all the things. Since we already had the family day, I decided to get my box’o’nuts today, knowing we were heading out shortly. Today was another perfect day to exclaim “we are nuts!” (For donuts)

It was only 10:30, we’d walked almost five miles and the day was heating up. Time to go! We walked blindly into the sun, up Dan Patch, through the accumulating crowd.

Almost to the gate, Joan reminded me she wanted to stop and see Pantsless Pierre! We wanted to see if you could see his butt, but the cake decorator gave him a bit longer tunic than the actual one! State Fair PG rating.

As crowds were pouring in, we were happy to be headed out. I hope to get back tonight to see the Meat Loaf tribute band.

Spent the afternoon catching up at home and blogging. Helped the family make tacos for dinner so I didn’t have to think about eating over at the fair. It was still pretty hot, but there was a lovely breeze.

Tonight, I picked Kathleen up and Mike was going to connect with us after work. We got an early start so we had time to wait in lines. She was determined to eat some pickle pizza.

First stop, a Guinness from O’Garas. If you’re smart, you avoid the long lines out front and sneak to the inside rail for food or if it’s just a beer you need, walk to the far back bar. No waiting! Even the bartender said, “I like working this bar, all my customers are smart. They know to come back here!“

The State Fair website crashed for a few hours today and cell coverage is spotty at best. A few message were exchanged to connect Kathleen and her sister as we headed towards the Ricks Pizza line. The south end was long and Kathleen took her place. I walked up to check the north side, but it seemed just as long and sunny. I rejoined Kathleen. We’d waited about 20 minutes and the line was moving, but slowly, so I decided to make a cocktail run. I told Kathleen to time me. I used to be able to get almost anywhere across the grounds in seven minutes. I said “I’ll be back in 15”. It’s all downhill to Cafe Caribe, but it was hot and I’d already clocked 5.2 miles today. I took the pass through and got there in six minutes. The lines were long and I scooted past the people waiting and sidled up to the end of the bar. The bartender looked at the long line and looked at me and I quickly said “I tip well”. She replied “what would you like?” I got as far as the grandstand park and took a quick drink time stamp photo and messaged Kathleen. I’d left her at 7:24 and it was now 7:35. I had four minutes to get back and it’s uphill all the way.

I made a tactical error and decided on less hills and cut through the Ball Park and Garden. So. Many. People. Two little kids and a big huge stuffed bear slowed me down as I tried to exit the building. I returned hot and sweaty with melting drinks, but I’d made it in 16 minutes. As Colleen & Kieran arrived, I had to explain to them why I was so flushed and dripping. They didn’t seem as impressed as I was. 😂

We were now just about ten minutes from the front of the line. We could smell it and see it.

I don’t like pickles, but everything else about that pizza seemed wonderful. The handmade crust, Alfredo sauce with dill and so much cheese. (All things I should not be eating). We got an extra slice for Michael, who was set to arrive soon.

Kathleen ate the main slice and gave me the last edge and crust to enjoy. Without the actual pickles, just the essence, it too was worth the wait.

Kieran was hungry so we cruised back to Afro deli. I’d eat those Sambusas every day. There was a line, but we waited in the hot steamy space. Today was just my day to wait in lines I guess.

I shared mine with Mike & Kathleen and they now understood why I liked them so much.

As we sat the Meat Loaf band started playing. I just kinda wanted to hear the greatest hits at the end, so we all walked together over to the Bazaar. As we walked, two lines of mounted police in full gear rode past headed down to the west end. Just the sight of them would make me behave!

High & Mighty we’re on the International stage. They’re a local group with some of the best horn players in the city.

I listened to the end and rejoined Mike & Kathleen. We got back to the bandshell, just as they started singing Paradise by the Dashboard Lights. Michael, impelled by the energy, led us right down front.

It was a great vantage point and fun spot to be. He finished with a Bat out of Hell, and we rocked our way out.

The Jonas Brothers were just ending at the Grandstand and we got to see the fireworks.

The weekend is forecast to be in the 100°’s. I’ll see how much time I can spend out there. I’ve really done all I want to do, but there’s a few musical performances I’d still like to see. Three days remaining.