Minnesota State Fair 2022

We went to the Minnesota State Fair not once, but twice this year. Both times we went with Nick, the first time being the more relaxed day of the two, and the second day Bruce had a radio interview show with Carl Unbehaun from Minnesota Home Brew.

We parked at the Park and Ride, and caught a city bus to the fair. It was about an hour and a half wait in line before we could even get on the bus, but we were grateful that we were able to find a spot in the lot at all. The lots seem to fill up quickly, and we weren't sure where we would go next if there were no spaces available. There used to be more park and ride options, but that seems to be changing. It makes me wonder if that limits some people's ability to even go to the fair, especially in the northern suburbs. The second day that we went to the fair, we went in the afternoon. The lot was full at that time, but we found a spot along the side of the road not too far from the ramp. We didn't have to wait for the bus that time, and we were able to sit instead of stand.

We stopped at the animal barns first. I didn't see any goats, but there must have been some there! The barns felt more clean and ventilated this year, and I noticed multiple fans blowing.

We made a stop at the DNR building, and saw a barred owl with beautiful brown eyes.

Then on for a walk through the midway. The midway seems strange to me in the middle of the day, things seem almost garish with all the bright light. We didn't go on any of the rides, or play to win any prizes, but instead sat on a bench in front of a couple of carnies calling out to people to play. At first they kept calling out to us, but we just sat and drank our lemonade. They finally gave up, but then I think they began to notice that we were watching them, and they became more and more dramatic. Nick said that watching the carnies was even more fun than trying the games ...

We walked to the side of the fair that had the Creative Arts building and looked for any yarn that Terry might have entered (she hadn't), and went into the 4H building to sit on a bench for awhile because it's so cool and soothing in that building. When we stepped outside again, a parade had just begun ...

Things we saw in the Agriculture building included an African violet display, winners for the largest sugar beet that I could pose in front of 😂, the seed art section (a favorite of mine, to be sure), and of course, delicious Cider Freezes for only $2. We ended up getting Cider Freezes both days that we were there, yum yum. We also saw a miniature state fair display made out of tinker toys.

 

We sampled and shared food, of course. The cheese curds were pretty tasty, and we always like to split a gyro. We liked the reuben bites from O'Gara's. And we heard a band in the pub playing, What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailer or, What Do You Do With A Pumpkin Sailer, little boy's version 😂. The fried green tomatoes (and corn fritters) were disappointing this year, I think they were in the deep frier too long. The shrimp taco was good! And we couldn't find the sweet potato poutine, which would have been fun to try. We also didn't make it to the Dairy building for a malt this year, but opted for an ice cream cone instead from a vendor that happened to be right in front of us. At that point we were tired, and ready to go home. Katie and Avi went to the fair another evening, and got a bucket of Sweet Martha's cookies, which they then shared with us later.

Bruce's interview was in the evening of the second day that we went. It was so HOT in the building! I saw that one of the booths had a bowl of smarties, and  asked if I could take one. They said that if I spun the wheel, and answered a trivia question correctly, I could. The question was: Did Vice President Roosevelt give a speech at the Minnesota State Fair in 1901, saying "speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far."? I guessed yes, and they gave me the smarties. Which I then gifted to Bruce. 

After we got home, we talked about how nice it is to frequently sit and rest. It really makes a difference in enjoying the fair!

The next day we went to lunch at Birches On The Lake Supper Club with Pa and Richard, and of course I had many questions I wanted to ask them about their State Fair adventures. I also have memories of going to the State Fair with Pa, as we go back a LONG ways in our friendship. 

                                                                    

                                                                      Here they are. 💕

Pa and Richard 💕