The last day is always family day. I wasn’t sure Randy was gonna make it out at all this year. With the generally low attendance, the beautiful cool weather and dreams of hot dogs, malts and cookies he decided to try.

First stop was breakfast!

The pie tally was woefully small this year. I had to have one today! Sara was there, happy, but ready to be done. She said that nothing was consistent this year, not even me!

Jack got a gyro and we found a table in Carousel Park. I don’t ever remember a year when I’ve spent so much time looking for the open, empty spaces at the fair.

We walked on through the other side of the park and just missed seeing these beautiful Hmong dancers perform for Hmong Minnesota Day. I loved their theme “Stronger Together”.

They were setting up a photo booth where you could take a picture with gymnastics gold medalist Sunisa Lee’s image. It would have been amazing to have her at the fair, but she’s rehearsing for Dancing with the Stars! It was getting warmer and more crowded, so we didn’t wait around for the photo op.

I wanted to see the completed murals at the Joyful World exhibit. They were all complete except one. If anyone stayed late and got a picture, please share it. The artists were all found through “Forecast Public Art”. I can check the website later to see if they’re posted there too. This was one of my favorite things to watch transpire this year!

This is as close as I got to the midway this year. I never ventured in. The only rides that capture your attention with any height this year are the Swing, way in back, and the Air Max. The Ferris wheels are all gone and apparently there was a new roller coaster.

There were a few creepy clown trash cans around this year too.

Randy wanted a chocolate malt, so we went to the Gopher Dairy Bar. The other favorite malt from Kiwanis was too far away today.

I went for a little ride when he was fetching his malt. Hee hee!

For 50 years, we’d always duck into the office behind this wall, or into the Horse Barn office to say Hi to the Peterson Family. This year there was no one there. The end of a dynasty!

Jack & Randy cruised through the Coliseum. I just wanted the butter toffee peanuts so I departed the building after that. It was too busy for my liking.

I sat outside staring at an ashtray. There are smoking sections at the fair, but I didn’t realize many people actually use them! it is however odd placement, right outside the door.

Next stop, Randy got a Turkey to go sandwich. I was rapidly getting overwhelmed by the people. I got my last two slushies!

Jack & Randy stopped to look at big fish. I was incorrect in every attempt to identify a species.

Lots of space to see the fish! Lots of sun too!

Jack was hankering for a sundae, so he ducked into the Dairy Building while we waited outside on a bench.

Jack got a great unimpeded photo of all the completed butterhead carvings too!

To ensure corroboration of his story that he actually attended the fair, Randy needed a witness. We stopped at the Ball Park to say Hi to hard working Nate. It was too busy for me to do in, but I looked for an exterior table. There were few to be had and Randy’s energy was waning too.

Mike & Kathleen messaged to see what we were up to. They were ready to come over to the fair. I started thinking about possibly returning to the fair later.

We had a couple more food stops to make. Jack wanted to stock the freezer with Sweet Martha’s (does he not know I can bake?!?), Randy wanted a Poncho Dog, while Jack and I enjoyed our last egg roll and wontons. I picked up an extra egg roll for a friend!

The people were coming in, we were headed out, and I got a stamp, just in case I decided to return.

We returned to our parking spot one last time, and turned it over for Michael to use. I thanked our gracious hosts for the safety, security and companionship. It was so much more than just a parking place.

We were like salmon swimming upstream as we left the neighborhood. I dropped off the family, went to deliver the postcards and egg roll, came home and sat down. I started to blog and promptly fell asleep in my chair for the next two hours.

When I woke up, we had some dinner and then went to bed! I checked in with Mike & Kathleen, who had just left the ground before reports of more shenanigans. Kids tried to storm the gate after closing and officers had to “deploy chemical deterrents”. Other than a few isolated incidents, it’s been a great fair. Considering we were all locked down for 18 months and forgot how to behave in public, the attendees at the fair were mostly OK. I expected things could be worse. There were a couple offensive political booths, but in general there was less vitriol than past years. I’m hopeful, but not optimistic that the Covid cases will not surge in a couple weeks. I know I took a physical health risk going to the fair every day, but ~not~ going would have taken a toll on my mental health. It’s a risk I needed to take.

I will take my rapid tests over the next two weeks, wear my mask and pray I did my part to keep all those I love healthy.

Here’s hoping 2022 will be a different experience!

Sunday was looking to be a repeat of Saturday, only hopefully less shenanigans! Some of the reports of a gun, shots fired, fights, state fair on lockdown and arrests were true. The situation we were witness to was simply a kid behind apprehended because someone said he had a gun, but he did not. No shots were fired, but there was a time that the gates were locked down for public safety as a brawl took place outside the Como gate. I’m telling ya, Saturday night is amateur night.

The sun was shining, temps in the 70’s and breezy made me happy and helped me forget how sore my feet were!

I walked up Cosgrove just at the right time! It’s good to know that clogging is alive and well in our great state! It used to be a staple act in the talent shows, but not any more.

I grabbed some lunch before my shift. I have to savor my last hotdog for another year!

We had an almost full slate of volunteers in the Forest today, so I did something I’ve never done. I asked for a sit down job! I got to hang out at the Author table and help kids write their own State Fair adventure books. It’s usually occupied by an author, but we had a few cancel due to Covid concerns. A universal state fair problem this year, when they chose to not mandate masks or vaccines.

I was able to rest my feet while still engaging with little readers and writers! It was especially wonderful to have extra time to really enjoy visits from my former teaching families!

I had one more special visit from a ~long time~ former family! It mean a lot when they make the trek up to this part of the fair, just to see me ❤️ Tori and Dylan have changed just a little since they were two!

It was a little bittersweet to say goodbye when I left the Alphabet Forest today. I’ve had such a great time meeting and working alongside some fun and inspiring people! I look forward to doing it again next year snd I hope to see some of the same faces!

My only tentative plan for the evening was the Amateur Talent Show Finals in the grandstand at 7:30. There were lots of factors involved in my go/no go decision; would the grandstand feel too crowded, would I get too tired, too much sun and mostly, would I be all alone? The usual suspects I hang out with at this event were also tentative with their plans. I knew Karla & Steve were on the grounds and they might come, so I’d see.

I had three hours to kill, so I went to check on the final recipe card status. The brochures said that it was TBD, and I hadn’t seen a new one on my way in this morning. All five of the previous recipes were on the table, but not a new one. There was no one in the office to inquire, so I’d have to check on Labor Day. As I turned to leave, I was distracted by shiny objects! The amazing glass artist had set up shop here at some point. He’s blowing the pieces down at the West End. Somehow I missed that.

My friend Helen requested some postcards, so I wandered down to the FairWear shop near the visitor plaza and found these guys! No line, so I jumped in for a selfie!

I fulfilled the postcard request and walked over to hear the UofMN alumni band play the rouser! I’m proud of myself and love the fact that I finally have an alma mater!

I was in possession of two tickets to the Sky Glider and there couldn’t be a prettier day to see the sights, so I decided I’d take a round trip flight. Great minds think alike and I found these guys waiting in the all too long line with me!

As we waited, this kid, who by day eleven was tired of telling people what was written on the signs ~all around us~ waved his arms in the air and loudly read the sign to us! “People, please….” He began as he dumped out one more persons water cup. I love his smile, despite his frustration!

As I hopped into my seat, I realized I had problematic footwear today! It was too late and too risky to remove them at this point, so I just prayed they’d stay put, and if not the whole ride, at least until the ride made it over the area that was inside that ~exterior~ fence line! Uff, my feet are so gross! Once my toe is healed, I’ll finally get that pedicure! These shoes will be thrown out after the fair. I have a new pair waiting!

The breeze was lovely and the tattered flags flew high!

Today, there were no empty glider chairs coming or going! As I rode and ruminated on my next move, I recollected those blueberry donuts and decided I would disembark to get some and then hop back on the glider to return, if passing over the Little Hands Farm roof didn’t ruin my appetite.

I noticed the long line to get back onto the glider, but my desire for donuts, and the need to get the blood moving back up from my feet again, impelled me off the ride.

The line for donuts was very short, thankfully. I grabbed my bag and found a shady bench. Karla & Steve had gone to watch the stunt rescue dog show and I messaged to see if they were still up on this end. I didn’t hear back, so I got back in the line for the return trip. Uff da! It was a 45 minute queue in the hot sun. Glad I was fortified with donuts and had found a spot to refill my water bottle. I would be sure to tuck it safely in my backpack, lest I break any glider rules with a beverage! Once on the ride, I realized, again too late I’d failed to remove my shoes! But I took a quick photo of the line, which had not dwindled in size.

I also realized too late, since I had my ticket in hand, that our dear friend Roxy was probably in that ticket booth and I failed to say hi!

I tried to get a selfie with the wheel, without losing my shoes or dropping my phone. It’s harder than you’d think, at least for me! I sort of look generally annoyed.

I made it to the other end with my phone and my shoes, thankfully.

I now desired shade and a drink! I got another slushy, but today, it was harder finding a seat in the shade. I first sat down at an old painted picnic table. I realized my cup had the fair logo on it! (Some did, some did not). I liked the aesthetic and palette of this photo.

I was in semi shade, but went further into the DNR woods to really feel cooler and distant from all the people. I walked past the Ranger Tower, and not that I was in any shape to climb it this year, it was still sad to see this sign.

All the reasonable seating was full, but I found an empty low log bench, hoping if I sat for a while, I’d be able to get up again!

My beverage was so tasty and cold!

I sat for a bit checking in on social media and saw that I was invited to join some friends for the talent show tonight. I’d sent a message earlier asking, since I knew they’d be there, and unsure if I’d have any other people.

It was drawing close to the time they open the grandstand gates, so I checked myself for all my belongings and was sure I had my extra beverage and walked over and up the Grandstand ramp. I have only entered the building to access the corner bathroom & water station on the ground floor, but no further. I wanted to be on the second level for the show, so this was a good opportunity to check it out. I thought most people would be outside! I was wrong. It was busy, but I was here, so I checked out the Turman art quickly. I think this mural was new, probably done to commemorate the 50 Years of The Giant Slide in 2019.

I made my way to the east end as fast as I could, trying not to collide with dilly~dalliers. I was expecting to see a kind of people formed waiting to get inside, but the gates were open! I was slightly concerned that I might be too late to find my favorite front row seat. I’m claustrophobic, so I need to be able to get out with ease. I did not need to worry at all. The place was almost empty. I walked all the way down the rows and my friends had arrived early too. There were lots of seats available to me.

It turns out I did not need to be worried about sitting alone. Karla & Steve arrived soon and my usual suspects all decided to come too. They found seats on the other end of the stands and I was chatting with them, who should come along but more family friends!

The mascots were running around tossing T-shirts and getting the crowd excited. It took me a minute to get my camera ready, so I missed them coming towards me. I did however capture this sunset image that I love.

We all got seated and I saw a great show with these dear old friends!

Typically, we rarely agree with the judges final decisions, but this year, we were slightly more in alignment. We were very happy about the big winners, Elite Family Dance. They were awesome and deserving of the win!

I got a message from my parking hosts, who were also in the stands. I made arrange to to walk home with them after the fireworks. We had a great vantage!

I was coming to the fair on Labor Day with the family, but I knew it would be a short day. This was a great last night for 2021!

Everyone who has waited, came to the fair today. I’m guessing tomorrow will be much the same. Traffic levels driving over, the number of people slowly cruising the neighborhood and very few people with parking signs out, told the story. Streets were full, yards were full, I surmised the fairgrounds was too.

For many years past, I avoided the fair on the weekends. I would volunteer, then catch a talent show with Mom and head out. I signed up to volunteer earlier than I usually do this weekend so I could see the talent show finals and connect with family.

Once in the Forest I was streetside, welcoming and giving out crowns again. The Forest is always busier at this time of day, but still pretty quiet for a Saturday. This was my view.

It was a beautiful fair day and I got to see the parade march past. This was the most units I’d seen marching to date. The Roller Girls, Winter Carnival Royalty, a few bands, art cars, Vulcan Krewe and Mr. Peanut & his peanut mobile again.

After my shift I decided to head home. I hadn’t seen any talent shows this year, so I wasn’t really invested in the outcome. Especially if I was watching the show alone. I heard from Michael that he & Kathleen would love to come over. With just my one parking space this year, we try to carpool when possible. I needed a little time off my feet and out of the sun, so I headed home and I’d pick them up at 5:00. It’s really nice to have this section of Midway Parkway closed to traffic so I can walk freely and far away from others. As you can tell, it’s such a nice day that very few people are actually leaving. It’s gonna get crazy tonight.

We got back to the fair in time for dinner. The place was crowded. Not record breaking, but felt like a typical busy fair weekday. I just knew it was more people than I wanted to rub elbows with. There a couple roads less traveled, discussed in the blog, that I used to get from East to West every day. Here is a picture of one. It’s not pretty, lined with dumpsters and storage sheds, but it’s also empty of people. Nothing to see here, but it saves walking down Judson, the Fresh French Fry street or Carnes (aka “food alley”) where you have to navigate between Dino’s, Sweet Martha’s, French Meadow and Mancini’s. At the end of this hill, there is cold water at the KareBarn!

We all have the fair foods we love to eat. Michael is no exception. This stand has brats. It’s all they do, and they do it well! Michael is a fan of the booths that are open snd you can see your food being prepared. He misses the days when Juanita’s Fajitas used to have that grill up front with all the sizzling meat, and when the onions got tossed on, there was an instant line, caused simply by olfactory overload! I’m sure that food can’t be prepared up front like that anymore for sanitary reasons, but here at the 4’ X 6’ bratwurst stand, you can see them just fine!

Looking back towards the Giant Slide, the street has filled in quite a bit more!

With food on board, it was time for beverages. Back to our beverage spot at Cafe Caribe. We coordinated via text to meet these two here also.

Sara & Mike Q are usually out here a few times, but this might only be the second trip. They came for the Doobies on Tuesday and food tonight!

There is one of the newer large bathroom buildings right here, but as I went to the back to use the facility, lo and behold, I find my first line of the fair. Kathleen followed shortly after me and the line had tripled.

Ready to wander, find some good music and less people, we decided to head north. I suggested taking the sky glider up, but that line was also long!

Instead, we climbed the grandstand knoll, and walked through the fencing to take this less trodden path under the sky glider. Again nothing to see here but dumpsters and sheds, but also no people. The aerial view as you emerge out onto the road is kinda spectacular though!

I told them how Northern Tool is only a tiny tent this year, without it’s usual bin after bin of gadgets we think we really need, but tend to just glitter drawers. I do miss the batteries and the ponchos though!

Michael had a “dad moment” as he talked generators with the bored sales guy out front. Not sure why he thinks he needs a generator, but as storms rage around the country, one can’t be caught unprepared!

I’d eaten real food for dinner when I left the grounds earlier, and as we hiked north I remembered there were blueberry mini donuts to be found up here! It’s part of a huge concession complex with every fair food you can imaging across from the Home Depot. Everyone working in the booth had some kind of accent. I guessed they might have been Australian, but didn’t ask. Mike suggested we ask for no added sugar, and he was right. They were sweet enough with the berries, and pretty delicious!

We also could watch them bake… um, er…fry.

We found an outdoor patio table at the Hangar, thinking we could stay for a while, but the music started up and it was reminiscent of a Saturday Night Live sketch with Ana Gasteyer and Will Ferrell playing the Culps. Dare I say “musicians” who are middle school music teachers doing operatic versions of pop songs. Nope. I couldn’t stay.

The next stop would be the County Fair Talent Show finals in Baldwin Park. We stayed to see a couple acts and were happy to see these friends in attendance. They too had not seen the shows leading up to tonight.

The sun was starting to set and yet again in search of good music and a place to rest our feet, we walked back down the hill. Taking the back roads again on our way to get beverages, we noticed the same guy that gave Mike the calendar was in the KAREBarn. We sent Kathleen in this time to see if she could get one autographed by Belinda! We peered around the corner, into the empty booth, as she was brought to the secret room too and scored the prize!

The last time, we asked for one, he replied with a question that I interrupted; “Did you want the wall calendar or…”. Or what? We’ll never know, as Kathleen was asked the same question, but also jumped in with “wall calendar”. Sadly, This one was not autographed at all.

We cut through the DNR park to the back side of Cafe Caribe to refill our beverages. I got two this time, not sure if we’d be back this way! It would be easier if I wasn’t allergic to beer. There are limited options out here.

As we left, Michael suggested we take a spin through the Midway. Kathleen and I looked aghast and at the same time said “No!” It’s amateur night at the fair, and we consider ourselves professionals. Plus there was a certain electricity and vibe emanating from that direction. We made a big circle around the area, passing under the grandstand bridge and over to see if we could find good music at the West End.

We found an open table, grabbed some bull bites & bang bang to nosh as we listened, but this music was not what we had in mind either.

We started to walk up Dan Patch to take the cut through over to the bazaar, when the running started. Too many kids running in the same direction, away from the Midway. I thought something was going down behind us. As we looked to the right, towards the Frontier & Andy’s, the whole street seemed to running together. I thought they were running from something, but Kathleen noted they all had phones out in front of them, running ~towards~ something.

Glad we decided to go around that area earlier, we now picked up the pace and veered left, back up Dan Patch.

O’Gara’s was our last hope! We found a table outside and the Michael Handler Project was playing inside. Decent music, and we were out of the fracas over on the other side of the grounds.

I searched social media for a clue as to what shenanigans were going on down the street, but found only one report of a gun, a melee and cops apprehending someone on Twitter. Unsure if any of it is true.

While we enjoyed the music and beautiful weather, we were “entertained” by a conga line, loud screeching youths at the next table over and a very intoxicated man who showed exemplary coordination! Mike is thrilled here by the dance line crushing through.

The coordination was witnessed when we watched in awe as this guy dropped his napkin and using Mikes empty seat, was able to somehow balance his full drink on the edge, get the napkin, wipe his hands (?yuk?) and pick the beverage up without spilling. As he walked away another guy set his beverage on the empty seat too… and looked at us both, laughing, and said “just kidding”. He’d seen us staring at his buddy and made an hysterical follow thorough!

We waited for the fireworks and most of the grandstand crowd to exit, then made our way home. We finished up our drinks before we got to the gate, but joked about pulling a “Carol Jo” and tucking our drinks in our jackets and walking out the gate with them. It’s the memories that only surface when we’re back at the fair that makes it so special!

I better sleep fast, no time to blog, as I’m due back at the Forest at 11:45!

The morning was spent at home again resting my sore feet, but more importantly it was a big day for Jack. We had a zoom hearing before a judge, hoping he would grant Jack’s petition for a legal name change. It’s been a long awaited day! All went according to plan, but not without anxiety, knowing that one person held your future in his hands. Judge Gilligan was kind, respectful and helpful and there were lots of tears as Jack’s best friend and I testified as to the reasons we thought it was right. When the judge spoke the words, I hearby grant your petition, we all breathed a sigh of relief through our tears! We left the zoom and cheered, hugs and tissues all around! Randy was there and recorded audio of some of it for posterity. I refrained from doing rabbit ears during the actual hearing.

I delayed my attendance again, planning to only stay for my scheduled shift. The day was not only rainy, but the temperature had dropped into the 60’s! I pulled out new gear, layers for wicking, warmth and water, including gloves!

I grabbed one of each of the recipe cards on the counter as I passed Creative Activities not sure if I’d missed any. The giveaway stock is plentiful this year, most vendors have run out of nothing.

And caught the end of the parade as I walked up the hill.

Just like my father, barefoot in Birkenstock’s until the snow falls, I’d prefer to never wear socks, so today, it was a no socks, glove day in the Forest.

Another all too quiet shift, manning my post as chief of crown distribution again. I didn’t see anyone I knew until Karla & Steve stopped by at the end with their son Kory. Kory is a photographer and has won ribbons here at the fair, but they were on a mission to find a friends work in Fine Art.

I made sure no kids were around (which wasn’t hard today) and made my 2021 noodle.

I received a text from my neighbors, requesting cookies, since they weren’t getting the kids to the fair this year. It was to be my only stop and then home!

I heard from behind me as I walked, “Fairborne, taking a right!” I’ll never pass up a chance to take a pic of the mascots, so I grabbed my phone and took a pic as he zoomed past.

I walked towards Sweet Martha’s hoping to find my friend Paula somewhere along the way! I got a text from her and walked a bit farther to get a hug and a picture! I am blessed with multiple 50 year friendships!

I actually had to wait in the cookie line, but mom always taught us to go to the left. The line I chose seemed to have a crowd, but they were one family unit, so I was next!

I took a bucket picture, since I’d have to bag them up to get them safely back to the waiting children!

I rounded the corner to the WCCO water fountains to wash my hands and bag the cookies, when I spied this young friend and her roommate! The only member of the Quinn family I’ve encountered this fair!

I sent pictures to the waiting kids, letting them know I was on my way with the treasure.

I got a photo reply….I think somebody was excited!

It was only 7:30, so there were people still coming, but not close to the usual crowds. The weather factored in today. I’m curious what the attendance totals are looking like. I’ve heard people talk if 40% lower than average. The service road, open when I walked over, was now blocked again. I’m sure to keep pedestrians safer in the dark.

I looked up the attendance stats when I got home and the low numbers are astounding, but not surprising.

Tomorrow I work the early afternoon shift in the Forest. I’ll spend the entire morning blogging and hit the road by 10:30.

The morning was rainy and my feet called for ice and elevation. I had trouble getting myself together, losing my phone, my keys and my mind and was late getting over to park. Most of the neighbors (some who I had not seen since in two years) were out parking. I stopped to chat, as I’m wont to do, and told them the serendipitous parking tale from last night. As we chatted Sara came out and added to the story. When Ben returned the previous night, before he could retell what I shared, she told him about this magical, spiritual encounter she had with the last woman she parked. She had only one spot left and a car full of kids pulled up. There is some discernment that occurs when you have people parking in your private back yard, with regard to safety, timeliness and noise level when they finally leave. She wasn’t sure how late the kids would stay, and when they wanted to pay via Venmo and not cash, she declined. The next car to come by was Kathleen. Angels, just sayin’. Sara couldn’t put her finger on it, but this person parking was just special somehow. Then Ben told her the story. I repeated Kathleen’s comment on how she just felt mom embodied Sara and the neighbors could all see it. Not a dry eye in the bunch on Simpson Street for a moment. I composed myself and thinking I could almost be late for my shift, walked as fast as my feet would allow, praying I wouldn’t be delayed by the metal detectors.

I got to my post in the nick of time. The volunteers this year are in short supply but the staff and crew I work with everyday are awesome. Fortunately the dearth of volunteers coincides with a dearth of visitors.

It was a quiet, rainy afternoon in the Forest. My post today was helping to make mini banner necklaces. It can be a sticky job, but with limited visitors, I passed the time organizing letters and washing glue sticks.

One very bright spot in a gloomy day was a visit from a former family. They came up specifically to see me, which warmed my heart and they had a great time playing in the Forest!

After my shift ended at 6:00 pm, I was planning to just head home and catch up on the blog. Instead, my dear friend Helen appeared!

It’s been far too long since we’ve seen each other! We stood in the Forest catching up for about a half an hour before we realized we could ~walk~ and ~talk~. We both have the gift of gab and you could get whiplash keeping up with our conversation! Helen had one more punch on her history walking tour, so we headed to the grandstand, non stop taking. She punched her card and had to collect her prize before 8:00. It was already 7:30, we’d stood there chatting for another hour! The prize collection site was no longer inside the grandstand this year, unbeknownst to Helen, so we had to get up to the Bailey House before they closed, or I would be personally responsible for claiming her prize at a later date!

I grabbed a gyro for my dinner along the way and I apologized for automatically taking her up the path less trodden with a view of only dumpsters and bathrooms. I also conveyed my sincere apologies for talking so much and hoped I wasn’t keeping her from seeing more of the fair. Thankfully, she was just as happy to be talking, walking, catching up and reminiscing as I was.

We made it to the Bailey House with minutes to spare. They had to unlock the house to get the prizes back out, but kindly obliged.

I told Helen about the egg rolls, and she was intrigued, so we stopped and bought some to take home. They offered to wrap them up in foil for us. The smell was delicious and Helen’s egg roll didn’t make it a block before she dug in. We got a block outside the gate and stood talking for almost another hour! We decided that a lunch date to continue the conversation was a must and parted ways. I hope she saw enough of the fair on her one day outing ~before~ she found me!

I took only three pictures today. A record.

A slow moving start to the day, allowed for a last minute phone call from Michael asking to join me at the fair. Kathleen was already out on the grounds with colleagues from work, so I picked him up and we parked a little after noon.

With absolutely no agenda for the day, we went in search of lunch. In the Bazaar, Mike found his favorite Jerk wings from West Indies Soul Food. I wasn’t sure what I wanted yet, so we just pursued the vendors. Not much has changed since past years, except maybe a few less. There is a new Scandinavian t-shirt shop called Midsommar near Midtown Global, but I didn’t stop to shop. We crossed the street into Ag/Hort so he could see the crop art and whatnot. I looked over the scarecrow entries! Some were pretty creative and topical.

I always love to see the Ukrainian eggs. I’m pretty sure that dad made almost all these designs at some point.

We meandered down food alley and stopped to say hi to Mom & Dad. We entered to win a kayak, convinced I’ll get calls for a vacation time share for the rest of my life. I folded and Mike crinkled the entry forms, just like Carol Jo taught us. She won lots of drawings, so her techniques must work sometimes!

We ambled through the DNR park, looked at fish and were (not really) surprised to find nary a soul hanging around consuming all you can drink milk with buckets of cookies.

We saw some cows and llamas

Walking by the horse barns, I saw the doors were open. This particular barn has been closed every time I’ve been by. We walked through and like everything else out here, it was devoid of enhancements. The Minnesota Zoo draft horses aren’t here this year, a staple on the corner for over 25 years. There were a few horses, but lots of llamas! Tonight is the 4H llama costume contest. We might try and get back to it.

Michael hadn’t seen the mural art yet, so another progress check was in order. So many people have walked right by it and didn’t know it was there. Maybe if they had a free paint brush or tote bag, the people would line up!

My friend Gayle eats a stick of Big Fat Bacon every day that she comes to the fair. we were walking by, and for $5, and with a buddy who might share, I was gonna try it. It’s not my favorite. As a matter of fact, between the two of us, we ate about half and threw the rest away. It has a maple flavor that I didn’t like, it was leather like and chewy, not crispy at all. I’m not sure that bacon sliced that thick can be crispy. I texted Gayle and said “to each their own”!

We rounded the corner to get Mike a beer and found an open sidewalk table at the Ball Park. From there, we made a couple food and beverage runs, put our feet up and sat back and waited for the parade to pass by.

Mike got a brat, we shared some fries, and relaxed, enjoying the primo people watching spot. As the sun moved across the sky, we too moved to the other side to find shade.

A few friends found us and stopped to visit, but after a couple hours, we decided we should be sure our legs still worked and moved on.

Mike & Kathleen are wall calendar people. Mom always had a collection to share every fall from realtors, the fair and other organizations. The Friends of the Fair issued one full of beautiful fair images for many years, but discontinued it a few years ago. Since that time, without mom to collect them, finding a wall calendar has been a challenge! They learned that Kare11 had a giveaway at the KareBarn in 2019, but ran out quickly every day, due to record crowds.

Today, the crowds were growing too, but knowing all the backroads and inroads, we could avoid all the people and went in search of a calendar. The KareBarn is empty, but there was a guy distributing Pella drawstring backpacks. Mike & I asked about the calendars and like a secret deal was about to go down, the guy motioned to follow him…quietly and sneaky-like, with his finger over his lips indicating this was a hush-hush operation, he opened a yellow backpack and slid a calendar inside. We took our prize and didn’t dare open it until our next stop!

We swung through Cafe Caribe to get the good beverages, a margarita slushie for me and a Modelo Especial for Mike then arrived at the West End Schell’s stage to listen to an artist that Mike & Kathleen have seen perform and met through common friends, the Molly Maher Band. We scored a bench at back, shared with strangers. Mike opened up his prize to find not only was it a calendar, chalk full of weather information, but it was autographed by meteorologist, Laura Betker. (If Belinda had signed it, he might have died right there!). While waiting for the show to start, we regaled our new friends (bench buddies) with some of our stare fair tales.

The music was great, the sun was slowly sinking in the sky and it was so nice to just sit and enjoy it. Until the fair, I didn’t realize just how much I’ve missed live music!

Unsure how long I’d be at the fair today and my stamina, I’d made no concrete plans. But it turns out if you spend half your day resting and relaxing, you can last for hours! The concert ended and I was ready to go see some llamas. The competition was moved from the Compeer Arena (formerly AgStar) to the Coliseum this year to accommodate the increasing number of fans! I’m not spending any time inside the building this year, so I was planning to hang outside the entrance gates. My friend E messaged that she was inside waiting for the show to start. As we walked down Liggett Street, there were mounted police everywhere.

They were the llama (and handlers) security detail and as we watched we heard, “please make way for the llamas” and out they poured from the horse barn doors! There were a few themes I couldn’t decipher, like the bears riding all over the orange suit, but there was Bob Ross, a pop star, Nemo and his anemone, Elsa and Olaf, a llama in a cow suit pulling a covered wagon, and a piñata, which took first place in this class.

We thought we’d wait nearby to watch the other classes come out, and found a Coaster Car to sit in. Took a quick pic and surveyed our surroundings only to realize just how dirty, sticky not to mention sunny, our vantage was and promptly took leave.

We went to the original plan to see them under the coliseum entrance. Us along with crowds of people. Masked and stuck close to the fence, I waited around to get pictures while Mike scoped the interior. My friend E, inside, watching from the stands and from her reports of people crowding her seat, I assumed it was packed inside.

The undressed llama competition had just ended and these beauties were on the way out.

And I got a few closer shots of the kids heading in. I was sure Beauty & the Beast would be a contender!

I knew there were a couple more classes and so we went back to the barns to see behind the scenes where they get ready. We learned all about the different fibers and fleece and how to tell the difference between alpacas and llamas and that they have alpaca agility/obstacle course competition!

We were encouraged to pet these guys by a young 4H competitor. They had just arrived and would be competing in the obstacles tomorrow. These are alpacas.

As we spent time learning about and petting alpacas, we missed the middle age group class heading to the coliseum, but found the senior class lined up and ready to go.

I made the assumption based on reports that the coliseum was full and shared that tidbit with the group lined up. Some of the kids looked a bit panicked by that news. Michael corrected me. It was not packed with people when he went in and wanted to be sure the kids knew that, so I reversed my statement, and saw some relief.

That was enough llamas and alpacas so we headed back up to the other end to get some dinner and maybe see another show.

I remembered the OofDa Nachos that Mike ate the other night, so stopped and got a bucket full.

We sat at the back of the Leinie bandshell just as the talent show winners were being announced. I have yet to sit down and watch a full talent show. I’m not sure I will, despite the lack of completion for good seating!

The Legendary Wailers (minus Bob Marley) were set to perform tonight. We walked around the other side of the bandshell and Mike was so excited to find Leinie Reclinies available everywhere! I warned him repeatedly that they were super uncomfortable for any length of time and I chose a bench. He did not heed my warning. Dad always said there’s no such thing as vicarious learning.

We waited for the show to start and got a message from Kathleen asking if we thought she should come back over. Of course! After her work fair day, she had left to check on her mom, but there was still lots of fair left in this beautiful night.

She arrived a short time later, kinda shaky with a beer clutched in hand and said she had a story. I asked if she was OK, concerned she was in an accident, and after reassuring me she was, started to tell the tale. She decided to drive over instead of Uber, and get as close into the neighborhood as she could and just pay to lawn park. Tim McGraw was performing at the grandstand so attendance was greater tonight. She cruised the neighborhood for a bit and the ~only~ person out parking cars was the new owner of mom & dads house. She took a deep breath and pulled in. At this point the tears started and she described how she was welcomed into the yard, given instructions on how to park, and good advice as to how to remember where she was. She said it was like mom was right there. She couldn’t tell Sara (the new owner) who she was or she would have broken down completely. As the gracious encounter continued and Sara shared her excitement of the first fair for them living here, the moment to tell Sara who she was had passed and now it would be too awkward. Kathleen got to the fair, made a beeline for a drink and found us. She finished the story and we all dried our tears and just knew that Mom had a hand in that encounter.

We didn’t stay for more than one song. Mike learned just how uncomfortable the chairs really were.

These two cuties, waking ahead, with his prized calendar tucked in his Pella backpack.

I promised I’d get pie for Mary, our next door neighbor on Simpson. So I stopped to get one for me and one to go!

Kathleen was hungry, so we headed for her favorite all beef big dog corn dog booth. Elysia surprised me by saying she’d never seen the butterheads. It was always too crowded. I go see them every year, but once you’ve seen one, you’ve kinda seen them all.

Tonight there would be no crowds. In fact, you could take a complete photo without anyone in the way.

You could also grab a dairy goodness treat in a jiffy if you were so inclined!

Elysia enjoyed pursuing the prize winning meats and cheeses too!

My feet were telling me it was time to go, so we all made our way to the gate. No fireworks tonight, it could be a late concert.

As we walked across Snelling, there was a line for the shuttle busses, so I offered to take E to her car again. As we walked down the service drive of Midway Parkway, I noticed no traffic. One of the vendors said the cops closed the road because someone had been hurt earlier and to prevent the people who apparently pull up to shop the vendors along the street from blocking the through traffic. I think it’s a great idea. I always dodge cars and walk in the street to avoid navigating the narrow, uneven, tree covered sidewalk full of tired people stopping and starting as they try to remember where they parked and convince the kids they don’t need more donuts on the drive home.

Retuning to the neighborhood, I delivered the pie and watched Mike & Kathleen head into our former back yard. It was strange, but somehow OK.

I arrived at my car, two doors down, to find the neighbors enjoying wine night. Sara’s husband Ben was there and I retold the parking tale. We all agreed there were angels and magic involved.

Driving E to her park & ride, she was sad that it might be her last time at the fair this year. There’s only five days left. I’m hoping my feet will hold up!

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.