Day Ten, Sept 6th, 2010

The last day!  This is traditionally dad's day with Stella on the Midway.  Since we had opened the door earlier on the Midway, the "need to ride" was not as great this year....except there were dark gray skies that created a different sense of urgency!  Breakfast was first order of business, Randy got a foot long and Stella got pizza. :)

We stopped by the AFL-CIO booth, answered questions and got a canvas bag!

We walked through the Ball Park and ran into some friends and then off to Ye Old Mill!  I had to do some research for my cousin Brian at the Tom Thumb donuts booth. I just took pictures, but Randy thought it would be best to do some in depth research.  According to Randy, a good value and tasty!

 We all got wet seats in Ye Old Mill, and the "panoramic views" ( really sort of scary little cardboard things) inside are fewer and farther between.  Still a must do tradition!

 

Off to find a turkey sandwich for Mom ( yes Christie...I had another one!) Randy and Stella had never tried it, so I ended up only getting half a sandwich, but that's OK it left room for one more go at the fried bacon cheddar mashed potatoes on a stick!


I took a picture of Monty's traveling Reptile show simply because this was the first time in 12 years we did not have to go see it!   Funny, I sort of wanted to and Stella said no. 




I went to the coliseum to utilize my extra coupons for butter toffee nuts! I had to walk by the baby animal barns and see if there were any more cows in labor. My plan was to let Randy and Stella head home later and I would just sit with a book and wait for it.  As I walked into the barns the whole labor pen was full of calves.  There were no more cows ready to deliver.  The biggest blow however was listening to the announcer say "you will notice the two calves that are separate in the main pen.  These were twins born yesterday."  Darn Dog. *sigh*

We stocked up on tickets and made our way into the Midway!  The skies were growing darker so we moved quickly to "get er done"  Randy is not a fan of being in the Midway when it is lightening out!

While Stella was riding I needed to find a restroom and found this little gem in the middle of the Midway!  It is a trailer port-a-potty, but once you get in, my is it swanky.


Stella rode every single ride that she wanted. She really loved it when I took her picture too, can you tell by the faces in the photos?










I could not have embarrassed her more though than when I rode the Tilt-a-Whirl with her! 

We all rode the Big Ferris Wheel and Randy did his best to embarrass her too!    Great View from up there!

 I rode ....the Magnum!  Not sure what I was thinking, but it was my last ride

Stella decided to try the Kamikaze (upside down and swinging).  As she was riding it I was telling Randy how Michael likes to hang out under this one and collect money!  Just as I said it, Randy turned, pointed and said "like that?"  and there was a quarter laying on the pavement!

After that  the spinning little Octopus put her over the edge.  I have never seen Stella get ill from rides, but she was not herself!

It was starting to rain so we headed to the grandstand so Randy could get more shirts and I could run a mission of mercy for a friend who needed a new food chopper! On our way up the ramp we saw Amy waiting in line to get a signed football from Chuck Foreman (Vikings Running back from the 70's)  I told Randy I would wait in line for him, but he declined!  I wonder how long she waited! We got into the grandstand just as the rain kicked up so everyone else moved inside too!

We got our shopping done and filled the handy cart I bought on day one!  Stella was starting to feel better after relaxing in the hammocks!  The signs all say "adults only",  but nobody questioned the almost 6' tall girl!  She has always wanted to sit in one! We needed to get up to the pet center so we could get the new dog tag for Bailey.  Randy offered to take Stella up in the Sky Glider, but I had the cart so I walked as they rode.

We met up at the Pet Center and got the new engraved tag, a hot pink bone.  (Now,  I'll need to get some double stick tape so the tags don't make so much noise as they jingle!)  We looked at thet dogs, but it was quick.



I went in search of the Harlequin Romance shirtless cowboy that Amy recommended to me day one.  The guy that was giving out books today was not a hunk, sort of a puny guy in a cowboy hat. He was in fact not shirtless either ( Thank goodness) since it was quite cold and raining!  I took a pic, but did not have the chutzpah to pose with him for one.

We also drank our fill of Ocean Spray Blueberry juice while Stella raked a cranberry bog!  The new Veggie/Fruit juices are good, but I want to get a good look at just how much juice and how much sugar are really in them!

We began our walk towards home and ran into Giggles at his grill.  He and I used to be the big tent event party throwers back in the 80's and 90's, when I worked for Leo and he called me the wristband girl!  We chatted for a bit and then I got a pick of him hawking his new chicken friend bacon.  We did not try it.  I thought Randy showed quite a bit of restraint!

I also found the Joe Mauer photo booth and Stella grudgingly took a photo with him. A guy walking past said " How can Joe be here if they are playing today??  Dude, it's the fair...cardboard cutouts are as close as we get! 

Nothing to see for Randy in the Hall of Technology, but we did get a picture of him under his street sign!  Randy is short for Randall which is his family surname on his Mother's side. His Great Grandfather Eugene Wilson Randall was the Secretary of the State Fair, back in the early 1900's.

William George Hendrickson bought much of the northern portion of the State Fair grounds back in 1860's and built the homestead called the ComoDale house right about where the water tower is today.

Laura Hendrickson, his daughter, (Randy's great grandmother) married Charles Chamberlain Lyford, and their daughter Stella Lyford married Frank Eugene Randall, son of Eugene Wilson Randall.  So there.  Confused yet?  I am.  Eugene Wilson Randall, was also the Dean of Ag College at St. Paul Campus, Hamline University Dean and later the President of Minnesota Mutual Life Insurance.  His great nephew was William Brewster Randall the Ramsey County Attorney who tried the famous Thompson Murder case back in the 60's.  Randy had charts and graphs and photos if anyone is interested!  The ComoDale house was still there in the 1950's, not sure when it became State Fair property.

Randy has no interest in Fine Art, so he found a bench and a malt, while Stella and I checked out all the art!  Stella's favorite was the Hippo!  My favorite was a bowl of colored pencils.  There was also an amazing painting of a State fair scene with the giant slide that looked almost like a photograph!

As were heading home I remembered that we never got the sock monkey hat that Stella liked from day one!  Randy showed me the radar and he and Stella high tailed it back to the folks, as I ran all the way back to the  grandstand to get it!  I made it in and out with my purchase just as the clouds opened up! As I was running out of the grandstand, everyone else was running in. As I hiked up the street and out of the grounds traffic was light as everyone else was seeking shelter.  I was just wet.

I did get my arm stamped as I left just in case!

When I got home, I put on warm dry clothes and sat on the couch.  I never got up and went back.

I have plans for next year already!  I hope Becky and the kids can come earlier so I can spend a whole day with them, I look forward to cousins and family traveling from great distances who I will be glad to take on the grand tour, I will do some French Fry taste testing and I will pray for the ability to take more time off, or get a new job!  LOL  I will see a calf being born, even if I have to wait all day one day!

So here ends Heather's State Fair Adventure's for 2010. 

Stats:  Does it matter?  It's all over now and what is done, consumed, witnessed and walked is irrelevant...until next year!
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