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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There’s a lot of cute stuff down here.

E found some garden whimsy!

I might have to come back for my own!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There was no waiting for a Vikings Minnesota photo op!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lots of other humorous, timely, poignant submissions too!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cakes & Cookies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was busy! What?!?

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

So good this Gyro!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Or not!

It’s Sunday and I got an early start. I learned that there is a church service at the fair! A new experience for me. I think back in the 70’s when I worked at Gloria Dei, the crew attended some type of church service out here, but it’s a vague, distant memory. It was pretty quiet at Gate 5 at 8:00am.

Looking down at the sidewalk I spied an Alphabet Forest letter “L” for Lost!

I needed breakfast so I stopped for pie. You probably know what that looks like by now, so no photos.

I had a tight schedule to pick up my DNR backpack at 9:00 and make it to church by 9:15. I walked down towards the bench and passed by this particular booth (that I usually avoid). I hatched a plan for that red bench, later in the day.

The light was just right and there were no people so I could get a great shot of the bench and it’s perfect location.

I wanted to be first in line to get my “Legacy” backpack from the DNR booth. I’d only heard about them. You need to be here early! I had a little time to kill and as I wandered I ran into a church family! They were out early having assorted State Fair “breakfast” items. I had pie, I’m in no place to judge.

We were chatting so long, I realized if I didn’t get moving I’d be late for fair church! Ken commented, “that’s nothing new, just sit in the back!”

I quickly ran to DNR and got the pack, then headed back up to the bandshell for Prayer at the Fair!

It wasn’t too crowded and nobody noticed I was a little late so I didn’t have to sit in back. But as a good Lutheran, I certainly did not sit in front either!

A discovered a couple other members of my church and some old friends from SAP worshipping with me too!

I needed my recipe card and this presenter laughed when I asked where the samples were! She didn’t know she was supposed to bring them. I told her they were ~not~ required, I was just hopeful!

I wanted to find my cousin Kory’s photography exhibit in the 4H building so I walked up the hill to check it out. The category was photoshop manipulation. It was a really cool image! It won a Blue Award!

I only stopped into 4-H once before so I could see the Arts In show, so today I took in the whole building. The space was dark, and it was hard to get good pictures. I was headed to the Eco Experience one more time to get a third silverware set to outfit the family. I ducked out the north doors and found a bunch of outdoor displays. I’ve never looked back here!

As I walked around outside, then headed into Eco. I got in line and picked up some Muesli for second breakfast.

Then sidled up to the Water Bar and asked for a couple shots!

I remembered to check in at the recycling & household hazardous waste booth to see if they had the charcoal bags for disposing unused medication. (There was quite a bit at the house). It turns out they just have samples to look at, but I now know where I can order them. They’re quite expensive, no wonder they aren’t giving them away!

My BINGO coverall was almost complete, just a couple stops ~outside~ when I heard the rain hit the corrugated roof. As I headed to the door, I felt like a fish swimming upstream. Hordes of people were streaming inside.

Seriously, every other day I had packed some sort of rain gear, most likely warding off the rain. Today I had nothing as the skies opened up. Jinxed it!

Just as I was contemplating my next move, I got a text from my day one friend, Andrea, saying she was close to the building, hiding under a tree. She & her friend also had no rain gear (double jinx)! They stopped at the nearby radio station and picked up some free ones. I knew I should have bought the Northern Tool ponchos earlier, because after today, they’d be sold out.

We donned our “Love” gear and splashed our way over to the Alphabet Forest. Most of the stations were covered in blue tarps, protecting all the paper & books from the rain, but the photo booth was still operational, so we were able to capture the rainy spirit of the day!

We wanted to go see the 11:00am rescue dog stunt show, but it was canceled due to the rain. Instead we walked up to the far north end to the Brim and tried the new Sota Sandwich. It was delicious, but also a stick to the roof of your mouth kind of sandwich.

I might not have finished the Eco coverall for silverware, but I stopped quickly into the BWCA booth and I signed up and got the all in one “spork”.

The rain always seems to wash away the dirt & grime and despite the dark clouds overhead, the fairgrounds feels brighter, lighter and little cleaner!

Riding a trolley in 2019 was on my Fair checklist, so we waited in front of the Hangar for the next car. I assumed it might be full in this weather, but we had our choice of seats.

Every day I walk the fair, I keep a lookout for the memorial benches belonging to family & friends. With the crowds this year, you had to find them early, because they were generally occupied most of the day. This was one elusive bench, which was sitting in front of the a Hangar, where I’d been numerous times. Due to the cleansing midday rain, I was able to capture this picture for my friend Joan. It’s in memory of her Fair loving mom and this picture was her only chance to see it last year.

We rode the trolley to its southernmost stop near the Butterfly House and then we walked towards the Blue Moon. On our way we passed through carousel park and we stopped to take the “after” picture with two less pairs of feet. (Inset day one “before” grass)

Andrea wanted to try the Turkish Pizza that I couldn’t stop raving about. She agreed that it was one of the best new foods! We sat inside the Blue Moon Drive in theater and watched part of an old “Facts of Life” episode. What are Blair and Jo fighting over now?

The rain had stopped, but the crowds had thinned just a little. I asked Andrea if she would help me with the bench plan I’d hatched walking down Carnes Ave. on my way in this morning. She was game! The message on the bench is just so incongruous with the booth behind it, I wanted to turn it to face the street so anyone walking by would maybe get a different message!

Mission accomplished!

We stopped by the produce exchange and I suggested we try some of the Blueberry Mint kombucha, I tried it with the cousins yesterday and it was really good.

Lo and behold, the U of MN Apple department must have lifted it’s restrictions! But now they were out of the New Zealand Lemonade apples.

I wanted to walk through Fan Central, just in case that darn loon mascot was there. I think I’ve spent more time in here this year than I have cumulatively since it’s inception.

There was no loon, but we did get to have our photo taken with the FIFA World Cup Trophy won by the US Women!

Andrea was ready to head home so I walked her towards Gate 5. We arrived just in time to see the U of MN marching band pass by. Ski-U-Mah!

Watching the parade, I heard my name and turned to find Kathleen’s sister & niece! at O’Garas of course! This seems to be where we all are congregating this Fair season.

I wanted to see my volunteer friend Tom, so I headed back to the Forest. I got up there quickly, by walking alongside the parade units on the street, pretending I belong there. It’s the only way to navigate during the parade, the sidewalks are packed with people. Tom was there!

Tom, along with the fabulous creator and founder Debra Frasier. We joined together in a rousing chorus of 🎶 “ABCDEFG…” 🎶

I got word from a former favorite family that they were up on this end too. I found this adorable rainbow tiger near the Giant Wheel biffy!

Her little rainbow sunshine sister was a bit more shy, but I eventually got a warm greeting!

I miss seeing this whole family on a regular basis!

It was about time for me to head over to wait in line for the talent show final! I walked down Underwood following the Sky Glider and cut through down to the Grandstand. I stopped on the off chance I might get to see my buddy Dan at Juanita’s. He’d emerged from his “office” but just for a minute. The crowds this year and trying to keep up with his new Cubano sandwich made for an exhausting season! He’s still smiling!

The usual gang gathered on the second level of the Grandstand and we didn’t have too much trouble securing a bank of seats in the center front rows of the upper deck. Our preferred Talent Show seating. Once seats were draped with ponchos, bags and sweatshirts to save them, the food running began. I went to fetch bull bites and bang bang chicken, others fetched Worlds Greatest French Fries and later there were cookies. There are always cookies!

Our seats are in a perfect spot to catch all the people we know walking past! Cousins!

We save extra seats anticipating people will come and join us. Tonight the Hannigan girls joined us just as the show got started!

As in almost every other year, we were not in agreement with the judges final decisions. Having missed 90% of the semi final nights at the Bandshell, I didn’t have a clear cut winning pick. But at the end, the people I (and most of our group) liked, were not finalists.

It’s still a great way to spend a beautiful evening at the fair! Watching some top notch local talent with family & friends, while the Giant Wheel lights up the night in the distance.

Got home around 11:30 and checked my Fitbit. There was a lot of waking north to south and east to west and back again today!

Only one more day. I need to sleep fast. There was no time for blogging.

Today, began around 9:30 am, meeting cousins, parking at the house. Another Saturday at the fair. In the past, I usually avoided the weekends, due to the massive crowds. With the exception of my afternoon volunteer shifts and the talent show with mom, I stayed home. Tonight is the County Talent Show finals, so I know I’ll be up late. I’m not sure what possessed me to go early, other than the lure of family, many that I haven’t seen for a while and it was going to be another glorious weather day! It saddens me a little to think these are the last parking pictures at the homestead.

We met up at the Education Building, some people wanted a St. Thomas bag. We checked the Pronto/Corn dog tally. The machine was up and running again.

Still a close race.

I took the opportunity to look over all the incredible art, created by school kids across the state.

I love the Alphabet collage!

Creations by little kids under age eight!

Some older kids work

We walked up the street to find a traveling interactive berry truck! We waited in quite a line, but the rewards were worth it!

We took advantage of the traveling photo op

I took a few texts, but we connected with lots more cousins! I was excited to spend the day with family and share all the fun, free stuff I’ve discovered for kids. And they were excited to learn some of my State Fair secrets and have a skilled tour guide to help make the most of the day!

I suggested we head to check out the Angry Birds exhibit, before the lines got too long. We all had so much fun!

Not more than 15-20 minute waits and the kids got to try all the really fun stuff!

There was a movie room, coloring & animation zone, lots of interactive activities with fulcrums, balancing, cogs and construction zones!

The kids were ready to go explore other fun places! We stopped at Math on a Stick and the whole cousin clan helped me get my date stamp photo!

As the kids were all making the family name noodle, I turned around and there was Donna Erickson, the star of Donna’s Day. A wonderful show on PBS back when Gray was a little baby!

It was almost parade time, so the family went to secure a bench and I went to fulfill my plan to “top the tater!” First I got a bucket of fries to share and I put some of the fries into my saved Tipsy pie tins from earlier. Second, I went to the traveling “Top the Tater” booth to have the guy make good on the promise to cover any food with the stuff!

We added cheese curds to the mix and the other guys got sample cups of the “Zesty Buffalo” flavor!

The parade came by and I got a drive by selfie with Crunch the Wolves mascot, realizing it might be my last chance!

The Native American dancers had the most beautiful costumes.

After the parade, the gang was ready to go see the DNR. Today was gearing up to be another record breaker. We were at the beginning of the parade route, and it would still be making its way around. I knew better than to take the family in that direction. I had them follow closely as we cut through Ag/Hort, crossed the street through a parade vehicle gap, and went down behind the Territorial Pioneer log cabin. No crowds, no delays!

The kids (and adults) had lots of fun checking out the wildlife and interactive displays that I had scoped out earlier in the week.

I think that this snake was concerned he might be someone’s lunch!

We were just across the street from the bench, so we stopped there to remember!

We walked down to the animal barns, but really just went there for the food and beverages! Some wanted to try the Dilly Dog, and it was time to get All You Can Drink Milk to go with the cookies that were saved from earlier in the morning!

Corn on the cob was the final stop and the kids were getting tired! Pull up a curb and some dead grass for a rest today. No benches available at all. It was so crowded!

Harper is showing an indomitable State Fair spirit, the boys might be wearing out! A girl after my own heart!

Harper really wanted to go through the butterfly house, so I took the boys over to the Rainbow Play system area, and they had a great time climbing and sliding while we waited.

I needed to get to the Baldwin Park Stage early, to get seats for the County Talent Show Finals. The group followed and we were so early there were seats available to sit and watch the Sean Emery Show. He’s been performing out here for 28 years! He’s a magician and comedian (?!?), and did make me laugh out loud when he referred to our State Fair as a “special gated community”.

We watch the whole talent show and I summed up the acts as being a whole bunch of melancholy dancers. I don’t remember who won, but I also did not spend very many evenings up here watching the preliminary rounds. As always, my talent show companions were here too. The seats were strangely empty before the show. In past years, we struggled to save seats!

After the show I don’t remember who all went, but we took a walk through the Midway. There is usually a featured ride at the entrance and this year it wasn’t so photogenic. The giant swing has held that gateway place in the past. This year it was sort of in the middle.

The New York New York is beautiful at night too!

We closed out the day with most of the starting lineup! We waited near the grandstand so these guys could witness the infamous corn dance!

It was a fun, family filled day. Every day is made special, not only by the things I do and see, but more so by the people I spend the day with!

Only two days left to pack in all I could.

Thursday was just one more in a series of amazing days. There was a strange shelf cloud in the sky as I drove over to park at Mom’s. It didn’t amount to anything, thankfully.

My friend Helen, working every day, down in the Coliseum, usually has to clock in too early to stop for Pie. I needed my pie, so I grabbed an extra and delivered one to her! I think she was pleased!

I decided to see if any calves were on the way into the world. I didn’t have plans until 11:00am, but still had so much to see & do. Without my faithful Dad to run food & supplies, I didn’t have the resources or time to sit around in the Miracle of Birth barn and wait for a calf all day. BTDT.

I’d seen almost all the animals, cows, horses, sheep, goats, bunnies, llama, ducks, geese, turkeys, alpaca and fish.

The bunnies had moved out of the poultry barn, and the chickens have moved in. There were a few interesting and elegant fowl, but I cruised through quickly.

I popped next door to see if there were any curly sheep. The only curly one left was a little miniature Babydoll, all the rest were shorn, or getting there!

I think this concluded my animal barn to do list, so I walked back out into the warm sunshine!

I wasn’t sure exactly where I was heading. I noticed the Hot Dish on a stick stand. I’m not sure that’s a place from which I’ll ever eat. It was eye catching, matching the clear blue sky.

It was already 10:00 am, but as I walked by the entrance to the Midway, I noticed it was deserted. I don’t spend much time down here, so maybe it doesn’t get busy until later in the day. I decided to take a stroll through and capture the bright colors and prizes du jour. There seems to a plethora of stuffed sloths this year!

There were no lines for rides, many were at a standstill. This New York Skyline Funhouse is a new addition this year. It’s been the focus of many photographers. My photo was ok.

But I loved this one, reflected in the rain, shared on the #msfphoto page.

I walked by the Midway Luxury Port-A-Potty, wondering, but not actively researching, if it had suffered the same decline as the O’Gara’s hideaway. It looked stable, and no long lines.

Exiting the Midway, I wandered across the Adventure Park and I thought there was a live TV broadcast taking place at KSTP. I turns out all the people in the bleachers were just playing BINGO.

I grabbed a card and joined the game! I noticed some of my bleacher neighbors increased their chances with multiple cards. I was close a few times, but never won.

I was ambling around and wound my way back past the DNR and came upon a display of custom dog houses & kid’s playhouse. Maybe Mildred needs her own she-shed!

I popped inside the Dairy Building and my bosses kid Rachel was working! I’m not sure she wanted to pose for a picture, but I captured her hard at work anyway!

As I walked over to see butterhead progress, I spied the actual Princess Kay of the Milky Way in the back corner. I went into mascot stalking mode, and followed her out the back door.

She was kind enough to pose for a selfie to add to my mascot collection.

I decided to wander back over to Fan Central to see if I could get a picture with the MNUFC Soccer Loon. On my way, I stopped into the Costco tent. They were offering a really nice cooler, free to new members. My membership expires in August, so I asked if I waited until Sunday, Sept 1st, to renew , would I be eligible? Nope. I don’t know why I took a picture of the basket full of ping pong balls. My eyes were being drawn to bright colors today.

There is a big Xfinity wheel inside fan central, but the line has been long every time I’ve stopped in. Today I had nothing but time, so I waited. I really wanted to win the stainless water bottle. But as I got close, the water bottles ran out and the option was removed from the wheel. I spun and lost, but decided to ask the guys out in the registration tent if I could have a water bottle as a consolation prize for paying them $200 every month? Nope. I wasn’t having much luck in the merchandise giveaways today.

I had a plan to coordinate a little fun with the mascots and Crop Art, so I’d made a date to meet Gayle at the Visitors Plaza to have a conversation with mascot security. Gayle and her entourage beat me there.

We explained our crazy idea to mascot security, and I might have dropped a few State Fair VIP names, but we were taken seriously and assured that every effort would be made to execute the proposed plan, barring any unforeseen mascot emergency appearances. The plan was afoot, with players coordinating and converging at the desired location at 5:15pm. Time would tell if we’d be successful or not.

The kid needed a ride home from work and wanted to return to the fair with me when I got word that all the Kelsey kids would be converging at the bench later this afternoon. I left the grounds for a bit and did a little parking fancy footwork, moving cars to the street so there would be room for us all. Yard parking is at a premium this year. I think the restructuring of some of the park & rides are causing some of the challenges, but the neighbors are benefiting from supply & demand economics.

I fetched the youth and once we had some lunch and were ready to head back over, we noticed a couple waiting for the Lexington bus. They had all the telltale signs that they were headed to the fair, backpack, fanny packs and floppy safari hats! Thinking about WWCJD (What Would Carol Jo Do) we pulled over and tried to not come across as creepy, then offered them a ride. They gladly accepted, we must not have appeared too threatening. It is such a small world. As the general conversation turned to questions about college, it turns out the couple once lived in Northfield and knew some faculty at St. Olaf. Mom would have loved this story.

We dropped the strangers that we picked up, near the Snelling Gate and wished them a fun time! We parked at Mom’s and hiked back to the gate ourselves.

The youth wanted a malty beverage so we found the Craft Beer Bar in Ag/Hort. I’d never seen hops growing in the wild before… only in beer form.

The kid was in a “hoppy” mood, so it didn’t take much cajoling to get him to stick his head into holes! We were in the perfect place to capitalize on the situation!

We ran into Rhonda and her daughter taking a break from volunteering and checking out the flowers too!

If I remember correctly, Sara at Tipsy Pies had put out a broadcast for help wanted at the booth. I had too many activities and people connections on my schedule today, I couldn’t help. I decided to stop by and see if things were OK… and Sara gave me this pie. This was the cutest, happiest little pie I’d ever seen! It was delicious too!

My old childhood friend Kris was braving the fair today with her son Michael and niece Sophia. Our parents had been friends for years through Gloria Dei. They met up with us at Mom & Dad’s bench. Michael’s physical challenges make navigating the Fair, that much more challenging, but you could tell by his vocalizations, vigorous handshakes and smiles that he was really happy to be here!

His wheelchair was a special custom project through Team Triumph, that made it possible for him to participate in the Twin Cities Marathon! What was extra special is that Mom & Dad helped make it possible and had signed his wheels.

I know they were with us today, angels bringing so many people together.

As we were taking the bench photo, another childhood friend Heidi and her daughter Caitlin happened by!

Then without texts or coordinated efforts, Mark & Kim, Alec, Morgan, Michael and Kathleen arrived! I’m telling you… angels.

It’s the first time we have all been at the bench together since the day we surprised Mom & Dad seven years ago!

There was much picture taking (we are Kelsey’s after all) and catching up with one another.

Mark set up human barriers so he could arrange this beautiful image.

Now, in this time of Corona, I am grateful for every moment we spent together, since we last met.

The time was drawing nigh for the scheme Gayle & I hatched, involving the mascots. I had to get to Ag/Hort by 5:15. Kim & Kathleen wanted in on the secret, so they followed me and the rest of family headed off in another direction.

The three of us met up with Gayle at the back entrance to the crop art. This year, crop art became a “must-see” activity and long lines formed every day. The plan we made earlier today with mascot security was to get a picture of her blue ribbon winning piece, along with the mascots! Fairchild & Fairborne were running late, and we were a little concerned that something came up, preventing them from coming. I did try to get some tv news coverage earlier in the day, but the stations I tried were either on air or broadcasting remotely.

Just as we were giving up hope, there was a commotion in the crowds lined up to see the crop art. They arrived! They were really surprised to see the rendition of themselves in seeds!

The crowds parted somewhat and let us get some pictures!

Our excitement was high and adrenaline was rushing. We pulled it off! I texted the rest of the family to find them again and they sent me a picture of what they had been up to.

Apparently, the reason the mascots were running late was due to spending too much time with my nephew Alec outside Cafe Caribe!

Now that we did the mascot thing, it was time to relax and have fun with family! First up, frosty beverages!

Then we all walked through the DNR wildlife cave passageway to find the family bricks. Not everyone remembered they were there… or where they were.

Yee-Haw! It was time to eat. Some needed hot dogs, others cheese curds, Gyros and corn! Luckily I knew where to find it all in close proximity!

I took the family up the back walkway under the Giant Slide. Then crossed over to the Ball Park, where we ran into great, longtime friends!

I wanted the whole family in my date stamp picture for today, so they all stuck with me and we made it as a cohesive unit from one end of the Fair to the other!

Once up on this end, we realized we were in time to see the lumberjack show. I needed to make a pit stop for water & bathroom break so we ran inside the Eco Experience. The water fountain is a chilled bottle filler and there’s usually not a long bathroom line.

On the way through we ran into Jonathan from church extolling the Eco friendly virtues of the Tesla! He speaks from experience as an owner!

While chatting, a family whose children I used to care for, stopped to say hi too!

We got back to our bleacher seats just as the show was beginning. we had to cheer loudly for our sections’ Lumberjack & Lumberjill team. I can’t remember if we won or lost, but it was a great show!

There were heats of sawing, axe throwing, pole climbing and wood carving. At the end of the show, they were selling carved bears and Gray really wanted one. I told him he had to carry the log for the rest of the night!

Alec got autographs on a log and posed with the winning team!

Walking down Cooper St., we all stopped to watch the Giant Wheel light progressions. It’s a show all to itself.

Green Mill was on the left and with this large group, sharing food is a great way to try some of the new stuff! This year the new food “loaded garlic cheese bread” had rave reviews. Not so much sharing went on! It tasted better than it looked at twilight!

The latter part of the evening consisted pretty much of walk and eat and walk and eat. I took the opportunity to try the Brisket Grilled cheese from RC BBQ, while I had people to share it with. It was good, but a little burnt and too much for me, so Matt ate most of it!

The Channel 9 news was just about to go live, but Alec wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to chat with his pal Ian Leonard! These guys have all been friends for a long time through Special Olympics.

Since we were there, and it was there… a small group decided to take a ride down the Giant Slide.

All together, we headed back up Dan Patch to make our way home. We could hear the Queen tribute band at the bandshell and we listened for a bit, but we didn’t stay long.

It was a bittersweet parting, in the backyard on Simpson St. It was the first time we’d all been together at the house since Mom’s funeral. We’d be back here together soon once the fair ended. We had lots of work to do.

The morning broke with a clear blue sky and not a cloud in sight.

I had planned to share my State Fair day with Sara at Tipsy Pies. She was excited to see the fair through my eyes. Unfortunately for me and not quite as unfortunate for her, the pie business was booming from the record crowds and she and her crew were working overtime making more pies to keep people like me well supplied!

My day was now unscripted, so I was ready to go with the flow.

I stopped into the Creative Activities to get my recipe card. Today was beer bread. The award winning baker was there and brought the bread to taste! I’m glad I was there early as she just had one loaf to share. She even brought butter!

I had friends volunteering in the U of MN booth today, representing CLA. They had a fun photo booth set up. I never did log in later to find the pictures we took. But I have the process shots.

I asked Sarah K. if she had a fanny pack that I could use for the blog as photo evidence only, not to keep. I was granted permission to take a photo and promptly return it to the box behind the curtain

Rebecca was willing to tag along and keep me company for a bit. I had to get breakfast, so I treated her to her first blueberry tipsy pie! Sara was sad she had to work, but grateful for the successful state fair run.

I had heard reports of a couple different apples being featured at the fair this year. The U of MN was selling the new “First Kiss” that we tried on Day One. Thrn there were reports of the “Lemonade Apple” on the news. I thought they were the same thing. Then I heard The Lemonade Apple was available at the Produce Exchange. Apparently people were critical of the booth for selling an apple from New Zealand. When I stopped to get my fruit supply for the day, I inquired about the controversy. The owner informed me that he tried to order the “First Kiss” apple, but the U of MN would not let anyone else sell it but their booth in Ag/Hort, which is fine, but he needed something that stood out to remain competitive. Hence the New Zealand Lemonade. I will admit, the apple was delicious and lived up to its name! The First KISS was good, but this really did taste like lemonade. I wonder what kind of pie they would make?!?

I had yet to go for a ride in the Sky Glider, so Rebecca and I made our way across the grounds towards the Grandstand. I ran into John & Margaret who followed us in Glider.

I feel like shoe, flag, Wheel and roof pictures are obligatory on this ride. It might just be force of habit. Rebecca obliged.

Once on the ground on the north end, we started back tracking to the Eco Experience. On the way we passed by the noisy tractors. I’m quite sure this “electrified” plastic fence is an ineffective deterrent.

The sunflowers at the Little Hands Farm are stunning, towering overhead and reaching for the sun.

Rebecca & I got BINGO cards and completed the coverall! They had restocked the silverware, so I got another one for the camping box. I also convinced her to join me in the photo op sewer drain. She refused to pose with the dog poo though!

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency was giving away a kayak to one winner who would be willing to sign up and be a lake pollution monitor. I signed up for Como Lake, but I was never contacted. I’m guessing there were lots of volunteers for Como!

Just outside the Eco Building is a new traveling exhibit. It’s for RALLY Health, a new health goal incentive based app to increase preventive measures for wellness. The interactive exhibit looked like fun and there was no line. It was a mini golf course with games along the way and once you filled your stamp card, you got to play Plinko and win a fabulous prize! Rebecca is sporting her fancy orange sunglasses! I got a water bottle.

Rebecca wanted to see some of the Fine Art. I’m sure I didn’t see it all my first time through. Sure enough, I’m not sure how I missed the black rubber ?sculpture?, and the gilded toilet brush. Black & White, Yin & Yan?

I saw the car collage picture the first time through. The rainbow colors appealed to my senses. I did see on second glance, the little green frog car.

Rebecca joined me for the date stamp photo today. If you’re hanging with me and we’re near the Forest, be prepared to join me!

Rebecca has to get back to the U of MN booth to help out, so we made our way back, stopping to check the hot dog count in the Education Building

And I ran into Weef, who I haven’t seen in years, for the second time in a week! It is the Great Get-Together!

As we returned Rebecca to her post, Goldy Gopher was scheduled to make an appearance soon.

I found a seat and waited for the opportunity to get a picture with him.

When I posted the picture of my selfie with Smokey Bear, a friend suggested I get a picture with all the mascots I can. I took it as a challenge.

My first task was to figure out how many mascots there actually are! I had help from people sending me tips! Some of the mascot selfies took subterfuge and stalking. This one with Goldy checked one more off the list!

My goal for the day was to find TC Bear, Luna from PBC, the Minnesota United FC Loon, Nordy of The Wild, and any others I encounter. Turns out there is a Emerald Ash Borer. (I got a picture last year!) and Elmer the Elm Tree. I’m guessing the list is endless, but the gauntlet was thrown.

I got a message from my cousins visiting from New York. They wanted a guide to Grammie’s bench. Knowing it was right around the corner, I decided to just rest in the sun on my bench and let them come to me.

We connected and walked around the corner and captured a couple traditional photos.

I had a plan to hunt down as many mascots as I could in one spot. The parade queue outside the fairgrounds across Como. I got my hand stamped and headed across the street to the back corners of the parking lot.

I stalked the mascot vans and stayed close to their parade vehicles and was successful capturing TC Bear.

And Nordy hopped out of his refrigerated van a couple seconds before parade time, but he stopped for a few seconds so I could snap a pic.

I waited for the PBS car, but they told me Luna was waiting on the grounds by the haunted house. I trucked it back over just in time to pose with her before the the escort car arrived.

I was hot, sunburned and a little hungry so I went into the Bazaar and I’m not sure what possessed me, but I ordered the sweet and sour chicken with fried rice from Panda Palace. Years ago I worked in the Bazaar (Mexican Village then) and I ate it every day. It’s not quite as good as I recollected. I ate some, but tossed most of it.

I posted my mascot progress to Facebook. I’d compile a list of mascots remaining tomorrow.

I had mascots on the brain and went over to fan central where I hoped to find more in one place. I encountered the Roller Derby mascot, Minnie.

I went to look for MNUFC Loon, but he wasn’t scheduled to make an appearance until later.

I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see Crunch of the Timberwolves. His scheduled fair appearances were completed.

I walked over to the DFL to check on the “Bean Poll” and the tally for Warren was increasing!

I decided it was a good day to try the Hamline Dining Hall exclusive ice cream flavor, Dessa’s Night Drive. The ingredient list seemed like it might be too much going on, but the flavor combinations were delicious! There are very few foods I eat repeatedly…. like Blueberry pie and foot long hot dogs, but I might have to eat this again!

I wanted to check out another new food, the brisket grilled cheese at the former Famous Dave’s booth “RC BBQ”. I just looked, but decided it was too much for me to eat alone. As I exited the booth, I bumped into a friend from church, Ruth & friend.

I got word that Martha was on the grounds and we planned to meet at the Bazaar Globe. She arrived wearing my favorite t-shirt. 💜

My only plan was to go see some of the Llama Contest. I learned last year that you can catch many of them as they head out of the staging area. The lighting inside the arena is hard to take pictures. On our way to the barns, I ran into another friend from church, Ken!

Martha hasn’t seen any animals yet, so we quickly walked through the cattle & swine barns. I found my Brown Swiss!

It was pretty early for the Llamas, but we found some in the stalls getting ready.

I ran into a friend Jean from work coming to see the Llamas too!

Martha’s sister Liz has just arrived and she was in search of dinner. Instead of waiting for Llamas, we met Liz at the Blue Moon Cafe to try the new Turkish Pizza. I wish I had tried this sooner. It’s my new favorite this year. It’s fresh, healthy, delicious and best shared with others.

The three of us lingered on the patio and enjoyed dinner conversation on a beautiful evening.

These two had stuff to see and do, and were headed to Creative Activities. I tagged along, but took a detour when I heard from my from my old Girl Scout friend Jeannie that she was near the education building. I popped in to say Hi and grab a photo op.

I was sunburnt and tired, so I decided to skip the Queen tribute band at the bandshell and head home. I’d have another chance to see them tomorrow.

I checked my Fitbit step tally and it made sense why I was a bit worn out.

There are still five days to go. I need to rest up for the home stretch.

There is only one Tuesday of the Fair. It’s one my twelve favorite days. It was cloudy and cool, but no rain in the forecast.

The lines for tickets were quite long already at 9:00am. It looked like the start of a record breaker. I checked the attendance stats frequently and so far the first two days broke records, and the weekend had high numbers, but no records. I’m sure the attendance on Monday would be low due to weather.

There were over two million people last year, I’m guessing we’ll top that this year if the weather cooperates.

I wanted to check out the straw-bale gardens in daylight. on my way to get breakfast, I made a few stops. The garden designer Joel Karsten was right there! I learned what I could and documented information to follow up on later.

Every day there is a different school of medicine represented at the front table in the U of MN building. Today it was the school of Orthopedic & Sports Medicine. If there is a wheel, I spin. I answered correctly and got a gel ice pack.

My path to pie also took me through the Ball Park beer garden and these two goofballs were just gearing up for another busy day!

I picked up my pie and that was the end of my scheduled events for the morning.

I walked down Carnes Ave and came upon the listening ear from last year. I didn’t have any burning questions, it’s rude to talk with your mouth full of pie and I wasn’t sure the ear needed an earful from me, so I just kept walking.

Tuesday is usually a good day to check out the Grandstand. I walked up the ramp and turned around to take a picture of the vast, mostly empty space and the cow car was gliding overhead. Good sign.

Adam Turman is a local hero. His art embodies all things Minnesota; Prince, the Fair, Hotdish, and Paul Bunyan. His booth is at the top of the ramp and is a must see destination. His merchandise includes puzzles, dish towels, pint glasses, socks and cards. His art prints, framed or unframed, are also for sale. This UN-Fair year (2020) you can buy his stuff at the online here: https://adamturman.com/

You can take you picture with your favorite fair treat.

There’s a great sock spot! One fuzzy picture in the group, but it’s relevant and I couldn’t leave it out.

The Veranda, new last year, just outside of the Speakeasy food vendor, has “blossomed” nicely! And the view is lovely.

StevenBe designs has beautiful yarns, adorable children’s books and some fun kitchen kitsch.

I found the vendor where I get golf shirts for Randy every year. There are fantastic deals on jackets and shirts here. I was excited that I was able to fit into some of the super reduced jackets and got a new water/windbreaker for $15! The shirts for Randy are 3/$20!

I got a text to connect with some family, so after completing half the upper grandstand circuit, I ran down the steps to meet up with Alexia, Nate & Ash!

They were looking for kid sunglasses and I had a pair in my bag from a giveaway somewhere! Ashton wasn’t so sure, but the color was right!

As we stood and chatted, there was a military flyover. It was Military Appreciation Day after all. Got my camera out just in time.

I stopped in at the Kare11 barn, got my free water bottle and filled it up with cold fresh water.

I was truly just wandering without plan or agenda. I investigated the tin hut on the corner across from the DNR. It’s a house made of corrugated tin. I didn’t go in, because I wasn’t sure of the organizational agenda. I wasn’t ready to sign up for an overseas mission trip. It appears to be a religious agency doing mission work globally. Hopefully all good things.

I walked up the hill to the MPR booth. I picked up a sustainer magnet, found a couple words in the giant word search wall and posed for a selfie. I asked a volunteer to take my picture by the sign. Of course I had to try and make order out of the random mess of magnets. I found an example of each phrase. Thank goodness there were two of each color.

I crossed the street to check out the Dairy Building. I’ve been told that Hope butter is the finest in our state. I had plans to get there before Christmas last year, but that didn’t happen. I watched the princess faces get carved into blocks of butter, and took a look at prize winning packaged meat.

The vendors in here don’t change much, Turkey Council, where you can stick your head in the turkey, Beef Council, spin to win a side of beef, the Lamb & Wool Producers, pick up a sample of the best lanolin lotion, Chicken & Egg Association, sit in the egg chair, and get your Fleet Farm bag, buy painting edger tools that I’ve never had success with at home, pick up some venison & buffalo dog treats from Great Dog Co. (they too, have an online marketplace this unfair year 2020), but most popular the Dairy Goodness Bar. My bosses kid is working here this year, but I didn’t see her in the crowd of kids wearing matching shirts and hats.

I grabbed a beef stick to snack on. I’ve been working hard at losing weight and getting healthy so I’m trying to balance out my pie a day habit with added protein, and a little salt is OK when I’m moving all day and trying to stay hydrated! I looked for Minnesota snacks, but Wisconsin was as close as I could get.

I happened upon one of the new food vendors right out in front of the Haunted House. Thelma’s Ice Cream sandwiches from Des Moines Iowa distribute to Lund’s & Byerly’s, but I’d never tried one. They’re unique in that the sandwich part is made from different kinds of cookies. When I read about the new foods, I imagined that I’d be able to choose my type of cookie (snickerdoodle or chocolate) and choose my ice cream flavor and have it scooped up and squished together while I waited. I was wrong. They have a variety of sandwiches that are purported to be “made fresh daily”, but when I asked about making them fresh, the kid replied, “they’re made fresh every day in Iowa”. Ummm, no thanks. I decided to save my calories for something different.

The clouds had dissipated and I decided to soak up some sun as I wandered through the International Bazaar. I love to see the Matryoshka dolls. This year the nesting set that almost made me reach for my wallet were these adorable owls. Dad was here.

I’ve told people that my weight loss program is basically cognitive behavioral therapy for my mouth. One of the analogies used to manage eating habits is that of the elephant and rider. The elephant is the impulsive part, the rider takes control. Finding balance with both parties is the key to success. As I wandered around the Bazaar, elephants caught my eye at every turn. I’ve been looking for a sort of talisman with an elephant. I’ll know it when I see it. So far I’m just capturing the images.

I try to find special, unique Christmas ornaments every year. An angel for me and a star for Gray (formerly Stella, now Jack). The stars are still a welcome gift. Global Mamas had lots of beautiful ones.

The bazaar hosts the Midtown Global Market and two selected vendors get to split time at the fair. Hot Indian, with their butter chicken samosas, are here for the first six days. I’d been meaning to get here sooner, but better late than never!

I was hoping to have someone to share them with, when I got a text message that my friend Kathy and her kid Eli were on the grounds looking for food too. They were in the bazaar getting Island Noodles, and they met me at The Market. There are three samosas per order and I meant to share them, but they were so delicious, I ate two. Kathy got one.

The sauce was the bomb. The sign said it was a creamy green chutney, but this was a hot pickled aioli. I started to imagine all the foods that I could dip in this sauce! I asked if I could buy some extra sauce and Chef Janene slid me a couple! She told me I can buy it in bulk at the shop. She uses it as a compliment to filet mignon. Now a year later, I remember the sauce. I hope to get over there one day soon.

Kathy and Eli had a volunteer shift at Math on a Stick, so we walked toward the north end together. We stopped to spin the giant AARP wheel and won some swag.

I took a picture of this years button. I can’t remember where I picked it up. It’s quite likely that Kathy got it for me!

We walked through the Home Improvement building, just to say I did. There was really nothing I needed to see, until Kathy & Eli pointed out the sauna. I do enjoy a sauna! I sat inside and imagined the water hitting the rocks. Sizzle.

Near the Alphabet Forest in Baldwin Park or on the street there are often rotating free sample vendors. Today there was a Lactose Free Milk vendor with a few different kinds of milk blends to try. It wasn’t terrible.

I asked Kathy & Eli to join me for the date stamp photo!

As we crossed the street to see the Fine Art, our Fair mascots were cruising down the street to get to the parade.

The Fine Art Building is a labyrinthine hall full of surprises around every corner. The display walls are numbered so I try to stay in sequence so I don’t miss anything. When it’s crowded I often go backwards. It seemed quite crowded for a Tuesday, I turned to my left and counted down. The first piece of art was from a local photographer, whose process in creating this animal collage image was featured in the news before the fair started. A huge mural of this hangs in foyer of the new North End Event Center. He corralled and photographed the animals in pairs and then compiled it into the collage.

I’d love to show you every piece of art, but I’ll just share some of my favorites. There are many photographs and paintings, but it was the textiles and multidimensional art that drew my focus.

These are created with folded paper. The Prince image is made from dyed sheet music.

I spent so much time trying to read and make sentences out of this needlework. I think it’s just layers of words.

I wanted to examine everything from a distance and then closer so I didn’t miss any of the details.

The artist in residence that day created images using embroidery floss. I went to her website and the piece she was working on during the Fair was completed recently and pictured center left.

So many textures, shapes and figures. Too little time to ponder why.

An abstract square colorful painting hung in our living room by an artist from St. Anthony Park in the 70’s. I can’t remember her name. Any time I see colorful quadrant art like this it reminds me of that painting. I’m also a huge Piet Mondrian fan, probably for the same reason.

This was hard to capture with the light reflecting. YouDogCat.

This one made you think!

I’d love to try and crochet that Afghan!

This piece was so powerful. Titled: Reparations

I felt like I’d seen it all and Kathy & Eli still had time before their shift started, so we went into the Eco Building. The prize for completing Eco BINGO is a set of reusable silverware. Helpful for picnics, camping… or eating at The Fair! We grabbed our game cards and began to play. There really wasn’t time to go for the coverall, so we strategically chose the stations we needed to complete a BINGO. The tasks are fun for all ages!

The Giant Paul Bunyan is still here, but he got a voice box upgrade!

There is a cool display on the stages of recycling and how products are broken down and reused.

And the resources that can be recycled in our electronics

Our last BINGO spot was outside the building, so we walked outside to the solar exhibit. While standing hear the enormous solar flower, the “solar” energy waned and serious clouds rolled in. We moved under the battery tent and the skies grew dark and it poured and hailed.

Once the hard rain subsided, we went back inside to claim our prize. I wanted the silverware, but there is also a neck gaiter.

We were a little wet and chilled and it was still raining a little, so we stood in a long line for a thimbleful of Peace coffee. We passed the time by sticking heads in holes.

It was nearing the time for Kathy & Eli to check in at Math on a Stick, but we had a question about where something was located (I cannot remember what) so we found the information booth and we chanced upon the “Guy in the Hat”. I wasn’t familiar with him, but Eli (a former State Fair Go-fer) knew him. Apparently he’s got a different hat for every day! This one seems appropriate for Military Appreciation Day.

Kathy & Eli went to work and I thought I would go back try for the coverall on my BINGO and get another prize, but they ran out, another indicator of a busy day at the fair.

I decided to go back to moms and drop off my heavy bags. I bought ornaments, a new Norwegian sweater (in a smaller size), shirts for Randy, jackets for me, and I’d collected lots of weighty giveaways. I was hoping to meet up with family and friends later. On my way out, there was my water guy! Now he’s official, with his own gear!

I never made it back home, but I got as far as Mom’s. My friend Gayle texted asking where I was. I told her I’d be back on the grounds in 15 minutes. I was excited to get some French Fries and eat them with the samosa aioli sauce! We found Kathleen and her Mom having a beer in the Garden. I was right, that that aioli would taste great with many foods!

Kathleen was taking her Mom back home, but we had plans to connect at the Lonestar concert at Leinie Bandshell later. Gayle was up for any adventure, and I had an idea in the works, that required finding the mascots at their scheduled stop at the Visitors Plaza. The plan was afoot and we took a few pictures while the opportunity presented itself.

We then decided to head up north on Underwood. A path I had not yet traversed.

We stopped at Northern Tool and there was a big wheel to spin. I looked around inside, but everything there for purchase with my coupons was heavy…. tools, batteries, etc. I decided to wait for another day.

Just up the road was PBS and I got a picture with Nature Cat.

We toured the building and took a picture with Bob Ross.

Across the road is the Little Hands Farm. I knew my childhood friend Rhonda and her daughter were volunteering today, so we stopped in to say Hi! It was perfect because they were right at the entrance, greeting visitors and helping don aprons. I just started playing with all the toys! Gayle was my photographer.

We had to stop into the Kemp’s Cow photo booth and get our photobombs. There was no one waiting so we took advantage of every backdrop.

Zigzagging one more block north, we decided to wait in line to play Home Depot Plinko. The line was long, but not as long as it has been. The only challenge to staying put were the game hosts with cow bells! They were having so much fun, it was hard to be irritated. We got a can coozie and apron, both lightweight prizes. I was grateful it wasn’t a 5gallon bucket or a hammer!

I had yet to see any dogs, so we went a block farther and walked the perimeter of the new (last year) outdoor dog pavilion. The representational dogs today were the greatest hits for me and my friends. ShiTzu’s, Great Dane’s and my personal favorite, the Swissie.

The new North End Event Center is hosting the traveling “Angry Birds Universe”. The lines have been long every time I’ve been close, but not tonight. Gayle & I went in to just do some research. It looks like a really fun science, tech and math experience for kids! I think it might be worth the wait for family fun!

We walked past the Giant Wheel and the sky was amazing.

We went to check on my friends at Math on a Stick, and again I found stuff to play with.

I’m not sure I would be a good volunteer here. I’d be constantly trying create order from the chaos and random patterns.

Walking back down towards the main drag, the 4H tower was gleaming in the sunlight. It is the home of so many memories and an played a huge role in nurturing my love of the State Fair. I left some of Mom & Dad at the foot of the tree on the right.

I was hungry but had eaten lots of junk today, so we went to the fruit stand and got a banana instead of donuts, for the win!

Looking down the street, it was like a Thursday or Friday crowd. since I’d spent much of the late afternoon up north I didn’t realize just how busy it was.

We walked through the Minnesota Territorial Pioneers, remembering the man who was there every day doing intricate paper cutting of various animals and objects. There is just a big empty space, with nothing even noting he was once there.

Kathleen and I planned to meet at the Leinie Lodge to see Lonestar perform at Bandshell Tonight. I didn’t really know who Lonestar was, but Kathleen’s sister used to date the Bass Guitarist. I’m always up for an adventure, so I snuck in at the tail end of the Talent Show and got us seats in the second row. It’s been a long time since I’ve sat this close to the stage. Mom was the expert at procuring these seats. She must have been with me today too.

As I sat waiting for Kathleen to join me, my friend Sally sat down for a bit and we shared tales of our state fair days. Her husband Tom is a veteran, so they participated in all the Military Appreciation activities.

Kathleen arrived just as the concert was starting. We were talking more than listening, since neither of us really thought we knew any Lonestar songs. There were crazy fanatical screaming fans that would race up in front of us for pictures, and I felt like we should maybe feign a little fandom to look like we belonged in the second row. The lucky thing about most country songs, is you can sing along because after after one chorus you know the words. We faked it until they performed a song we actually knew! They wrote “I’m Already There” after 9/11 and you had to live under a rock to not be familiar with it. Well both Kathleen & I resonated with the lyrics and were singing along and crying….remembering the people we had recently lost. After the song, the lead singer Ritchie looked right at us and commented that the song means so much to so many people and said “I know it means a lot to you” and have us the heart~hand salute. We at least didn’t feel like posers anymore. But didn’t really know any other songs!

After the concert, Kathleen wanted to try and say “hi” to Michael Britt, the bassist friend of her sister. We walked over to the side of the stage where the bus was parked and tried to get the attention of a security guard. We told the guard that we had a message for Michael from Megan. The super fans around us (most of whom were ~way~ to young to fan girl over these guys) started freaking out that we knew him. We clarified that we didn’t know him personally, but it didn’t seem to matter. I told Kathleen to text her sister and have her ask Michael to come out and say Hi. The security guard returned to tell us that the band members had left the grounds. We started walking home to Mom’s and Megan texted to us say that Michael asked if we enjoyed the concert. Kathleen was texting too slowly, so I grabbed her phone and texted Megan to tell Michael we were the two blubbering fools in the second row that Ritchie saluted earlier. He responded by saying…”yeah, I could tell that they were really emotional”. He said that the band left immediately after the show and were already at the hotel by the time we were talking to the security guards. Since I was now coming across as a psycho fan girl, they would not divulge the location of the hotel.

We got back to Mom’s and I dropped Kathleen back at her house and had to sleep fast. I had a date the next day to do the fair with my friend Sara of Tipsy Pie fame.

I’m not sure the final step tally, but three hours earlier I was close to 20,000.

It was Monday, August 26th, 2019. The morning started with pouring rain and thunderstorms. The red sky warning from the day before was just a bit early. It was a busy start to the fair, so I took some time at home and landed on the grounds around 11:00 am. My niece Morgan and Matt arrived to park and we all made our way to the Coliseum to watch the sheep dog trials. A new thing for me!

On our way to get breakfast, we ran into my buddy Sara Q and family! Sitting one bench down from Grammie Kelsey’s!

I needed to educate Morgz on the virtue of blueberry pie for breakfast. She was all in! She taught me that pie goes great with beer! (It was ~almost~ noon)

Rain was still threatening so we made our way quickly down to the Coliseum to catch the dogs at work.

We got in at the tail end of the competition. Those dogs were impressive!

We had great seats along the first ring!

After the dog show we made a move to get a bite to eat. Matt wanted to try the “Dilly Dog”. Apparently one of the hottest new foods this year! The line was surprisingly short!

He thought it was good, but you gotta be careful on that first bite! 450° pickle juice can burn!

We walked around the Coliseum a little ways and I ran into my dear friend Helen, hawking wares at the “pet socks and other cute stuff” booth!

Heavy rain was just starting to pound on the roof and people were flooding into the Coliseum. We decided to head back up the ramp and reclaim our seats and watch the final draft horse show. Our seats weren’t open so we found some seats higher up. It turns out a few friends were also taking shelter in the coliseum so they joined us at our seats.

Jim and Grace are friends from my time at US Bank. We stay connect through the Facebook, but haven’t seen each other in real life for far too long!

We had some time to catch up while waited for the show to start. I saw the show already but these horses are worth a second, third and forth look!

As the coliseum filled with horses and wagons, my friend Gayle texted to say she was in the coliseum too. Near the end of the show, we connected and then all parties split up to do our own things. Gayle was my new wandering companion! She’s always game for an adventure!

Gayle wanted to check out the merchandise at “i like you”, so onward to the West End. It was still raining, but not as hard. We were prepared! Sarah, the lovely proprietor of “i like you”, snapped this keeper for us!

Crowds were light, we perused the various kitschy vendors. I do like the repurposed, colorful and animal art forms! Maybe my blue pig from last year needs a friend

I got my favorite West End treat, the hot waffle! You’d think I’d had them enough times to remember, but that first burst of powdered sugar gets me every time!

We found a place to stick our heads in and asked a stranger to take our picture (after first offering to take theirs!)

Needing something besides carbs in my stomach, we got some bull bites from Lulu’s.

I climbed up to the balcony to take a vista shot.

I’d missed the recipe card distribution earlier in the day, and Gayle is a collector too, so we headed up to the creative activities to see if they were still there.

It was a recipe for prize winning blue ribbon “Mom’s Dill Pickles”.

I’m not a pickle canner or pickle eater, but I have to collect them all!

Across the street is the U of MN research booth. There are 5-10 different research studies being conducted all the time. You can participate in as many as you qualify and have time for. You also can get a variety of U of MN backpacks! I tried a few written surveys and then took a number for the audiology hearing assessment. Any hearing loss I exhibit, turns out to be selective. My ears are fine!

I did notice this sign… but I did not look into the research project for which it was required.

Gayle and I parted company and I had plans to reconnect with Matt and Morgan at the Alphabet Forest for my date stamp photo. My aunt Linda and cousin Margit were also out having their annual fair day and through a flurry of texts we all managed to converge on the Forest at once!

I got my date stamp!

One one for the youths!

I was told by a friend to go vote for my hot dog preference at the Dunwoody booth so we stopped in to the education building, but the voting machine was not operational at the moment. They still offered buttons to wear, but as I don’t eat either, I told them “no thanks, I don’t have a dog in the fight!” 😂. The vote tally was pretty close at last count.

We went to watch some of the talent show and the kids ran into some friends. I wandered through the merchandise mart and there are some interesting things for sale in here! The usual nail art, mops, Avon, ornament shop, Smooth Gator, sink stopper, my wine opener and chamois guys are here along with some new ones!

Anybody need furry ears to accompany every ensemble?

Or an UN-Brella? It sort of makes sense, but not sure it’s really better than the 30 umbrellas I have at home. Convince me.

Apparently there is a cottage craft industry I was completely unaware of. The tools required to create chalk board designs. I am not a fan of chalkboards in general (primarily due to the whole fingernail issue) but I’m not sure who does this! I often don’t have enough hours in the day to fix dinner let alone update my family chalkboard calendar! It also looks like it would be sticky, crumbly and messy. Enlighten me!

There is a booth that almost exclusively sells cowhide bible covers. As the sign says…”Jesus Loves Cowboys”

There’s a booth with the crocheted hand towels that hook on cupboard handles. I might have enough of these to last a lifetime. Mom was a huge supporter of the CPLC Bazaar and gave me three or four a year for many years. I have many I haven’t used yet, and found more in boxes at the house that she never got around to gifting. I don’t remember who this booth belongs to.

Right next door is a new booth with the Puzzle-Twist Puzzles. I’m new to these and have had some fun doing them. The box cover art is not always helpful solving these. Some have swapped or altered images, some are in different block arrangements and others have added elements. I bought the 2019 State Fair puzzles. When I paid with my credit card, the salesperson handed me a business card that read “Maynard’s LLC”. This is the same company that developed CrossCrib. She kindly requested I not decline the charge when I see it on my statement, claiming I had not been to that restaurant recently. Years ago, the owners of the restaurant asked her father if they could use the name, Maynard’s”. He never thought it would be a problem, but apparently he couldn’t see into the future!

There is another new company hawking joint compression bands. The guy on the right is a friend of Matt’s. I wanted to say hi, but he was pretty busy. The other guy wasn’t so sure about my intentions….

Matt & Morgan connected with friends and I decided to wander through the Ag/Hort and see what’s different. It was getting close to closing time and not crowded. There were lots of different “open class” categories on display in the Flower wings.

There were Fairy Gardens designed by kids and adults.

Floral interpretations of paintings.

And the miniature floral arrangements that I always love to see.

I went to get a better look at the award winning vegetables. I’m attracted to the simple and uniform.

And the unique and unusual.

There’s also the whimsical.

Looking at crop art requires multiple return visits. There is no way to take it all in at one glance. My first day visit I was myopic and really only admired Gayle’s masterpiece and took a cursory look over the wall. Tonight I lingered longer and found much to impress, amuse and ponder.

I often forget to admire the displays of seeds and corn that are at the heart of all crop art. There’s interest and beauty there too.

I walked through the Christmas trees to breathe in the air and scents and feel the coolness there.

Took a peek at the decorated tree displays and had trouble deciding between these two for the people choice award. The State Fair tree got my vote.

The sun had set and the stormy day turned into a beautiful cloudy evening. I had a full day and made my way back home. I remembered Grammie as I headed toward the gates.

I went into the house to be sure everything was locked up since there were a few family members parking here today.

Mom always put State Fair winning stuffed toys on this ladder for visiting nieces & nephews to claim. These have remained here since last year. They went unclaimed this year. The boxes stacked below reflect the packing and cleaning out work we had waiting for us when the fair was over.

It’s only 8:30, but I might be ready for bed. There’s so much left to see and do, and only seven days remain.