To State Fair or not to State Fair

[barondave]

Humph. This has been a very busted week, with all sorts of business and personal liaisons falling through at the last minute. I was scheduled to start a contract position today, but got a call in the evening saying it wasn't happening until Monday. So I find myself free on the first day of The Minnesota State Fair.

I like to go to the Fair on the first day. The pitches are fresh and everyone's gearing up. On the other hand, today is gray and rainy and Tonic Sol-Fa isn't playing. I'm sure the music will be good, but I don't recognize the name of anyone playing in the various free concert venues and won't make a special trip for them. The trick to the Fair is to go early, which means leaving now (to get there by 10am), and I'm just not in the mindset. None of the new foods sound (taste?) worth making an effort... bah, I'm just not in the mood for today. Maybe not at all, considering my money situation. But.

Anyone want to go tomorrow morning? Plan is to park in a Park & Ride, get there by 10 (a little earlier would be good) and leave by 1 or so. Have lunch, wander around, hear some music, talk to politicians, look at stuff.

Comments

[tomreedtoon.livejournal.com]

I haven't been to a State Fair in decades. Florida's is nothing.

However, in 1976 I went to the Ohio State Fair. It was a hoot. There were all the hucksters, even people selling bongs and rolling papers, and acts from middle-class to stupid (the Bonnie and Clyde car full of bullet holes).

[dreamshark.livejournal.com]

We're going on Tuesday. Fun people like Greg Brown are playing during the day. And (not so incidentally) we have tickets to the Greg Allman concert that evening in the grandstand.

[barondave.livejournal.com]

The Orange County State Fair (http://www.orangecountyfair.com/) (NY) took place just a few miles from where I grew up. Older than the MN state fair, and maybe bigger (as seen though childhood memories), The Fair was a Big Deal, and the fairgrounds the subject of much political wrangling. My father, as editor of the local paper, was on the other side of the wrangling, and the owner of the fairgrounds kept trying to buy him off. We kids strongly urged him to do so, but alas my father was too honest and we got some passes out of the deal but nothing that changed his mind about the for-profit tax status of events at the fairground that weren't The Fair. We could hear the stock car races from our home, many miles away...

The MN State Fair fairgrounds don't seem quite so politically charged, but The Fair itself looms large in the consciousness of our identity as a state. I went to other county fairs, but don't recall a NY State Fair. If there is one, it isn't "the great New York get together". It took me a few years before I started going to The Fair regularly, and now it's kinda fun. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I have all the wooden train whistles available, and am not in an Emu Jerky mood.

[asimovberlioz.livejournal.com]

"Our State Fair is a great state fair, don't miss it, don't even be late!"

I loved going to the Minnesota State Fair when I lived there. Pleasant memories include getting a "DeKalb" baseball cap, eating Cheese on a Stick (unfortunately by then I had already become intolerant to plain milk, so a certain other concession was not worth it for me), and inspecting all of the chickens.

One of these days, I've got to get to the Los Angeles County Fair, which is held (appropriately enough) in Pomona.

[skylarker.livejournal.com]

I have plans for tomorrow, but have it on my calendar that Greg Brown AND Weird Al will be at the fair on Monday. I was thinking of going then if nothing else comes up.

[asimovberlioz.livejournal.com]

I remember once seeing Weird Al performing at Six Flags Great America. I'm delighted to know that he's still rockin'!