We went to the Minnesota State Fair yesterday. The State Fair is a big deal in MN. Just to give you an idea: in the 7 years I lived in Illinois I never once heard of the Illinois State Fair. I’m sure there is one (it’s probably down state?), but it certainly wasn’t on anyone’s radar in Chicago. Since our arrival in Northfield four weeks ago, we have heard about the State Fair all over the place including, and perhaps most surprisingly, on MPR. To be clear: The State Fair isn’t advertising, via sponsorship, on MPR. Rather MPR just talks about it all the time. The most common topic is the weather. Everyone wants to know: what’s the weather going to be like for the State Fair? Indeed, Minnesotan’s love of weather-talk knows no bounds. On our way back from camping, we listened (yes, we actually listened) to an hour long call-in show, live from the Fair all about Minnesota weather. There were live spectators whooping it up in the background (I kid you not). Weather talk live at the State Fair — Minnesotans everywhere were in rapture.
Kim and Jason, pictured left, were very kind to invite us along for this year’s Fair. Ellie was fantastic — she slept in her stroller more or less the whole time (which is why there are so few pictures of her) — leaving us to see all the awesome and crazy stuff you go to see at the Fair: seed art, beauty queens carved into blocks of butter, gnome homes, tons of wonderful farm animals and, my personal favorite, pigeons. We (well I) generously partook of all the awesome crap available for ingestion, consuming over the course of the day deep fried pickles (thanks for the tip Bonnie!), a hot dog, french fries, chocolate dipped cheesecake, a bag of mini-donuts, deep fried cheese curds and root beer. I had one hell of a headache last night. Can’t wait until next year!
Tons of pictures, here, but here is a sampler:
GNOME HOMES?!! I definately need you to post pictures of those! How does it shape up against the good old C.N.E. ?
Oh man! I love fairs! I went to the Lorraine County Fair (Ohio) and ate deep fried cheese on a stick, took in my first prize pig auction, and last but certainly not least, enjoyed a combine-thresher demolition derby. It was mesmerising.
And as for the Illinois State Fair, David Foster Wallace has an awesome essay all about it. You should check it out.
Love,
Venus
Lucy has always been a role model for me and I like this photo of her. But I can’t quite figure out in which category she was competing for that blue ribbon. Can you please enlighten me?
It just says “4H” on it. Well technically, it has 4 H’s on it. What I find odd about it is that she’s meant to be promoting science education…and she’s listening to an iPod. Strange.
I’ve been to that fair. It’s amazing. They had a stand giving away free milk the year I was there 97) and my friend Luke had something like 50 glasses. Favorite memory: free live show by Garrison Keillor. He started riffing on the great corn dogs at the fair, then offered to buy one for whoever wanted one. I was one of only four to raise my hand, and sure enough, he sent someone out with his money to pick us all up a dog.
Which is the reason that “Garrison Keillor Bought Me a Corn Dog” is going to be the name of my first album.
It’s Cold Here // Dec 18, 2009 at 9:20 PM
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