I learned that mom saved every single newspaper supplement that had to do with the fair. This should not surprise anyone, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the free travel MyPillow coupon! I told her I would get the pillow and she could decide if she wanted it, or I could send it school with Stella!
I started out a little after 8:00 am and headed straight for the Star Tribune Booth. I arrived in no time, half hour too early for the chapstick line to even form, so decided to wander through the DNR.
There is a little log cabin at the foot of the DNR Ranger tower tower that I never remember seeing open.
I wandered into the Fire Prevention Building and there is a simulated Ranger tower view and a scale model.
It kind of cool, and the view down gave me a bit of vertigo, even in virtual reality!
I walked past the stage and saw my first glimpse of the effects of the Avian Flu outbreak in Minnesota this year.
The fish pond was full of busy swimmers, but when I went to see the ducks, it took me a minute of staying at completely still life, then I realized they were all decoys!
Again an effect of the Avian Flu!
Always eager to see what the river dragged up this year, I went to the spot, only to find two black rectangles in the grass.
As I approacehed the front of the roped area, I learned that they are doing something different this year. I miss the art!
I looked a little bit for the Knoblauch family bench since I was in the "red bench zone" but had no luck. I did however find this creeper seeking up on me!
Serioulsy, this is the Minnesota Lottery new campaign and if you take a selfie with Bigfoot and tweet it, you get a chance to win $1000. I am now a getting the hang of tweeting!
I am incapable of looking in the right direction to take a selfie so I had to leave my sunglasses on.
I sat down to admire the moose for a minute when I spied The Listening Ear! KARE11 has a guy walking around the grounds asking fairgoers questions and the really listening to the answers!
State Fair Therapy on a stick! Todays question was "what do you like about getting older?" As I was taking pictures, the ear said, If you are going to take my picture, then you need to answer my question! I told him that right now I am not finding much to like about getting older, everything is falling apart and my only kid is leaving for college....he caught me on a melancholy day!
It was fifteen minutes to the chapstick giveaway so I decided to get back to the Star Tribune. The line had grown just a bit!
We waited and the line kept growing as 9am approached. We blocked the entire sidewalk from WCCO to the STrib.
This Pronto Pup vendor was none too pleased! He kept asking people to move to the other side of the sidewalk away from his windows. I am sure this frustrates him every day (at 9 & 3).
The chapstick distribution time came....and went. There was a crowd of employees with green shirts gathered behind the booth and soon one lady came out to address the surly crowd. Apparently the person who has the key did not show up today! They did not have an ETA, and we found out a bit later that someone was en route to Admin to find a duplicate key. There were some grumbles and complaints...but NO ONE left the line. I decided I would stick around and do a little human behavior observation and see how long people would wait in line for something free at the fair. Plus, I really wanted the chapstick!
Well the line kept growing, and it soon reached all the way up the street past Luigi Fries and poured into the street by Mike's Hamburgers. We waited...and waited...and still no one left. It was approaching 20 minutes past the hour we had our first deserters. It was an older couple, who, it was clear were not in agreement of line desertion, but the grumpy faced gentleman must have won the fight, as the sad faced woman looked longingly back at the booth. They did not know this, but it would only be five more minutes to chapstick!
At 9:25 the windows were rolled up and the line moved very quickly at that point! I had been texting dad keeping him apprised of the situation and he was on his way to meet up with me. Just as he arrived, he walked right up and got some chapstick....
Dad was up for a quick tour of the animal barns. I always seen to forget the barns change over on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I miss some animals! Monday and Thursday are good Animal barn days!
We walked past Steichen's, which is the on grounds grocery store. I think it might be the only place to get legal pharmaceuticals at the fair!
We went to check out all the projects made by the kids that could not bring their chickens to the fair. Instead the barn looked more like a high school gym science fair! Some of the displays are pretty impressive!
Oh and there were a few bunnies.
And Sheep
Then I found this pig :)
I LOVE pigs! (and not because of bacon)
This beauty was my first cow to see.
Then these ladies were all laying down on the job!
It was predicted to be a pretty warm day at the fair, and it was not uncomfortable yet, but already warm.
There were lots of animals arriving, awaiting their stalls.
I had to run into the Swine Barn to get a picture of the Largest Boar sign that Stella made! Captain Jack was also laying down on the job!
This adorable pair were getting offloaded and all I could think about was...."Chocolate bacon and Bacon!"
This might be a before shot, later in the fair!
Hello Pig!
These Billy goats were just arriving too, and apparently were not happy about their lodging arrangements! The young woman here was audibly complaining that the guy screwed up and they only got half of the stalls they requested.
I asked a Cowboy Cop if there were BIG horses anywhere and he tipped his hat with a "yes Ma'am, why they can be found there, and there and back there!"
I got to see some beautiful Belgians and Ebony Clydes. I love the all the wagons too.
This blue ribbon beauty was a little skittish hanging out behind the barn, but I snapped a quick pic and I LOVE the back drop!
We walked by the Horse Barn Office to say Hi to Diane Peterson ( as tradition dictates) only to find out she has retired! Good for her, but miss seeing her face!
Then I spied this little piggy!
Dad and I parted ways as he hitched a ride on the Sky Glider for his volunteer post at the north end hawking Bargain Books for the Foundation. and I decided to finish up the west end of the Grandstand. As we packed Stella's things this weekend, I realized she was missing some microwavable dishes.
The Nordicware people have a booth this year and they have these cute bowls, plates and food cover. I got her everything she needed for $7!
I just love all the color in the booths and I am not sure my pictures can capture it all! The picture with my fingernail is a booth that sells the nail pens.
She struggled to make the product work to make a really bad flower on my fingernail all the time telling me how great this are with little to no enthusiasm and touting the free refill policy for life. Skip this one and go to the nail people in the Merchandise Mart. I like them better! I found myself in from of the MyPillow booth, and I dug out my coupon and picked up the cutest little nap pillow! I am not sure if they sell them too. My friend Carole was going to check it out.
I turned around to find a company that claims it can shake you slimmer. All these people standing with their behinds to the crowds jiggling away.
No thank you!!!!
Towards the back I found the upscale, black and white artsy version of the Alphabet Forest!
I like the colorful ones I do FREE every day, much better!
You can find beautiful scarves,
hair wraps, tutus
and fairy gear, and hammered colored spoon flowers
and sign up to win tickets to the Sound of Music at the Ordway!
As I left the Grandstand I ran into a very old friend from high school Bob! We recently connected on Facebook, but nicer to connect in real life!
I had not walked up to the north end, only used the glider transport, so I decided to get a ground floor view of all the stuff I had flown over last week.
I found the DISH network guys with the giant "Hopper" and discussed the options for switching our service and getting upgraded equipment.
I ran into the Tooth Fairy,
got some dental floss
and proceeded to go get my toothpaste and brush and
brush my pearly whites at the fair!
I found the Northern Tool tent and when I last flew over the tent, I had spied a cool pull along cart that also turned into a chair. When I did not see it and inquired, I learned that they were issued a cease and desist from the Fair as there misty have been another vendor with a smilier item. I bought some battery packs for $4 with my coupon and headed for a bite to eat before work.
I decided to try the Big Dog all beef footlong hotdog. I was not a fan. I guess I prefer the ones with all the bad stuff for you, and if you like them...the find onions were more like gooey caramelized onions. I will stick with my footlong. I did run into these guys getting lunch too!
They were assisting the Lions today greeting all the Senior tour busses as they came to the fair. They offered me a tote bag, but I declined, not knowing until later that evening that therein was a coupon for Rutanas hot apple dumpling!!!
My friend Carole and "Fun Size" Stella had just let me know they were on the grounds so I met up with them as Carole was getting her photo shoot with her "morning people" at MyTalk Radio.
My Stella informed me she was doing an installation at Math on a Stick so we walked over to meet her. I got my favorite shot of Stella and Fun Size
and then I helped Stella replace some books and got to keep the old ones!
I had to try and win a cow, so I made Carole and Estella come with me to get a tattoo, and luckily we were in time to try an ice cream sandwich too!
I realized when I tried last week to win an inflatable cow, I did not follow the instructions. I needed to tweet my cow photobomb in order to be eligible. So my good sport friends hopped in the photo booth with me and I tweeted my heart out!
Later in the day I got the tweet of my dreams!
I won the second chance and they would mail me a cow!
Dogs were on the agenda, so we walked up to the Pet Center.
We stopped to say hello to Papa, and sat down to watch a bit of an agility show with Australian Shepherds.
Such sweet faces! Inside the Pet Center I was not a fan of any of the breeds, except the Dog Whisperer booth had this gorgeous Retriever.
As we were talking, another dog came by and I asked the owner if he was a cross between Golden and Pyrenees...I think I may have offended the man as he turned to me, hand on hips, with a strong Scottish Brogue, "This, young ladeeee, is the purest of the pure"
I felt obliged to stay and listen since I was the one who put my foot in it, as he explained to me this is the original Scottish Bloodline of the Golden Retriever and they were once ALL white! It was a pretty dog, but I like the golden better ;)
Carole & Estella needed to start eating, as they had been on the grounds for an hour and not had anything!!
Estella started with a corn dog followed by turkey leg chaser from the Texas Cook Out. Carole got a smoothie then on to the twisted tater accompanied by a brisket sandwich. Since I did not enjoy my hot dog (and really forgot I even ate it) I decided I could eat a bit too before work. I got the Brisket Baked potato. Quite tasty, except I believe there was just a little brisket and a chunk of pulled pork.
The girls had purchased the souvenir Gopher cups, they are kinda cute and it reminds me to find my two year old cup in the cupboard for Randy when we go on Labor Day. He likes to have a soda with his hot dog buffet and it is much cheaper by the half gallon!
We wandered past the Stihl chainsaw carver.
I do so like his bears.
He was working on a huge spread Eagle.
As we wandered back towards my oasis, I saw ducks! I wanted a picture with these cute ducks! (It was the Bathfitter people and I think I may have signed up on a never ending mailing list, in order to get a duck quacker.)
Carole snapped the picture
and I turned around to get just a duck shot,
when I realized, the little ducks were gone.
I figured it out when I saw the scooter with the canopy and all the ducks riding atop her transport.
I told Carole & Estella, that if I ever become that fair lady, lock me up.
Carole & Estella dropped me off at the Forest an went on their way. The day was heating up and I was glad to be in the shade!
Just as I donned my apron, and set up in the greeter station, up pulled my Vinnie!
Dad asked if he wanted to give me a hug and he answered with a definitive "No!" When my kids see me at the fair, it is the right face, wrong place. At school when I take kids for a hug, their parents leave for work! They are not sure that won't happen here! I never push it.
A little later I was working at the Author table, helping kids make coyote masks, and up walked my Bailey and family!
Mom knew she would not want to engage right away, but bless her heart they colored and played and hung around long enough that Bailey was confident and gave me a big hug! It made my day. I do enjoy my break at the fair, but I miss my kiddos!
My friend Dawn, her daughter and granddaughter all stopped by too!
I also got a note from a cousin that stopped by and left me a note!
When my shift was over, my friend David stopped by and told me about the Rutana's coupon I missed out on and let me check out his state fair accounting ledger, with foods, dollar amounts and people. I learned that there is soup to try in the Creative Activities annex! I had to check it out. It is the same booth with the dips that people stick pretzels in and I avoid it due to the chance of the rouge double dipper and the possible festering germs. The soup however is served by people in gloves into mini portion cups.
I will be back to try more!
There were six soups to try, but I just had two, knowing full well I was not buying soup on a 90 degree day.
I tried the Vaquero and the Navy Bean. They really are quite delicious, they run about $10/each and you have to add water and your own meats. I want to try the cheesy broccoli, but she said the trial soups are the ones they tend to sell more of to reduce inventory, and the broccoli cheese is always a good seller without trials.
I turned around and drank some frozen wine and headed to meet Stella. Tired youth and tired Mom headed home for dinner and to bed!
There is a little log cabin at the foot of the DNR Ranger tower tower that I never remember seeing open.
I walked past the stage and saw my first glimpse of the effects of the Avian Flu outbreak in Minnesota this year.
Always eager to see what the river dragged up this year, I went to the spot, only to find two black rectangles in the grass.
I looked a little bit for the Knoblauch family bench since I was in the "red bench zone" but had no luck. I did however find this creeper seeking up on me!
Serioulsy, this is the Minnesota Lottery new campaign and if you take a selfie with Bigfoot and tweet it, you get a chance to win $1000. I am now a getting the hang of tweeting!
I am incapable of looking in the right direction to take a selfie so I had to leave my sunglasses on.
I sat down to admire the moose for a minute when I spied The Listening Ear! KARE11 has a guy walking around the grounds asking fairgoers questions and the really listening to the answers!
It was fifteen minutes to the chapstick giveaway so I decided to get back to the Star Tribune. The line had grown just a bit!
We waited and the line kept growing as 9am approached. We blocked the entire sidewalk from WCCO to the STrib.
The chapstick distribution time came....and went. There was a crowd of employees with green shirts gathered behind the booth and soon one lady came out to address the surly crowd. Apparently the person who has the key did not show up today! They did not have an ETA, and we found out a bit later that someone was en route to Admin to find a duplicate key. There were some grumbles and complaints...but NO ONE left the line. I decided I would stick around and do a little human behavior observation and see how long people would wait in line for something free at the fair. Plus, I really wanted the chapstick!
Well the line kept growing, and it soon reached all the way up the street past Luigi Fries and poured into the street by Mike's Hamburgers. We waited...and waited...and still no one left. It was approaching 20 minutes past the hour we had our first deserters. It was an older couple, who, it was clear were not in agreement of line desertion, but the grumpy faced gentleman must have won the fight, as the sad faced woman looked longingly back at the booth. They did not know this, but it would only be five more minutes to chapstick!
At 9:25 the windows were rolled up and the line moved very quickly at that point! I had been texting dad keeping him apprised of the situation and he was on his way to meet up with me. Just as he arrived, he walked right up and got some chapstick....
Dad was up for a quick tour of the animal barns. I always seen to forget the barns change over on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so I miss some animals! Monday and Thursday are good Animal barn days!
We walked past Steichen's, which is the on grounds grocery store. I think it might be the only place to get legal pharmaceuticals at the fair!
We went to check out all the projects made by the kids that could not bring their chickens to the fair. Instead the barn looked more like a high school gym science fair! Some of the displays are pretty impressive!
Oh and there were a few bunnies.
Then I found this pig :)
This beauty was my first cow to see.
There were lots of animals arriving, awaiting their stalls.
I had to run into the Swine Barn to get a picture of the Largest Boar sign that Stella made! Captain Jack was also laying down on the job!
This adorable pair were getting offloaded and all I could think about was...."Chocolate bacon and Bacon!"
Hello Pig!
These Billy goats were just arriving too, and apparently were not happy about their lodging arrangements! The young woman here was audibly complaining that the guy screwed up and they only got half of the stalls they requested.
I asked a Cowboy Cop if there were BIG horses anywhere and he tipped his hat with a "yes Ma'am, why they can be found there, and there and back there!"
This blue ribbon beauty was a little skittish hanging out behind the barn, but I snapped a quick pic and I LOVE the back drop!
We walked by the Horse Barn Office to say Hi to Diane Peterson ( as tradition dictates) only to find out she has retired! Good for her, but miss seeing her face!
Then I spied this little piggy!
Dad and I parted ways as he hitched a ride on the Sky Glider for his volunteer post at the north end hawking Bargain Books for the Foundation. and I decided to finish up the west end of the Grandstand. As we packed Stella's things this weekend, I realized she was missing some microwavable dishes.
I just love all the color in the booths and I am not sure my pictures can capture it all! The picture with my fingernail is a booth that sells the nail pens.
I turned around to find a company that claims it can shake you slimmer. All these people standing with their behinds to the crowds jiggling away.
Towards the back I found the upscale, black and white artsy version of the Alphabet Forest!
You can find beautiful scarves,
As I left the Grandstand I ran into a very old friend from high school Bob! We recently connected on Facebook, but nicer to connect in real life!
I had not walked up to the north end, only used the glider transport, so I decided to get a ground floor view of all the stuff I had flown over last week.
I ran into the Tooth Fairy,
I found the Northern Tool tent and when I last flew over the tent, I had spied a cool pull along cart that also turned into a chair. When I did not see it and inquired, I learned that they were issued a cease and desist from the Fair as there misty have been another vendor with a smilier item. I bought some battery packs for $4 with my coupon and headed for a bite to eat before work.
I decided to try the Big Dog all beef footlong hotdog. I was not a fan. I guess I prefer the ones with all the bad stuff for you, and if you like them...the find onions were more like gooey caramelized onions. I will stick with my footlong. I did run into these guys getting lunch too!
My friend Carole and "Fun Size" Stella had just let me know they were on the grounds so I met up with them as Carole was getting her photo shoot with her "morning people" at MyTalk Radio.
My Stella informed me she was doing an installation at Math on a Stick so we walked over to meet her. I got my favorite shot of Stella and Fun Size
I had to try and win a cow, so I made Carole and Estella come with me to get a tattoo, and luckily we were in time to try an ice cream sandwich too!
Dogs were on the agenda, so we walked up to the Pet Center.
We stopped to say hello to Papa, and sat down to watch a bit of an agility show with Australian Shepherds.
Carole & Estella needed to start eating, as they had been on the grounds for an hour and not had anything!!
We wandered past the Stihl chainsaw carver.
As we wandered back towards my oasis, I saw ducks! I wanted a picture with these cute ducks! (It was the Bathfitter people and I think I may have signed up on a never ending mailing list, in order to get a duck quacker.)
Carole snapped the picture
Carole & Estella dropped me off at the Forest an went on their way. The day was heating up and I was glad to be in the shade!
Just as I donned my apron, and set up in the greeter station, up pulled my Vinnie!
A little later I was working at the Author table, helping kids make coyote masks, and up walked my Bailey and family!
My friend Dawn, her daughter and granddaughter all stopped by too!
When my shift was over, my friend David stopped by and told me about the Rutana's coupon I missed out on and let me check out his state fair accounting ledger, with foods, dollar amounts and people. I learned that there is soup to try in the Creative Activities annex! I had to check it out. It is the same booth with the dips that people stick pretzels in and I avoid it due to the chance of the rouge double dipper and the possible festering germs. The soup however is served by people in gloves into mini portion cups.
There were six soups to try, but I just had two, knowing full well I was not buying soup on a 90 degree day.
I turned around and drank some frozen wine and headed to meet Stella. Tired youth and tired Mom headed home for dinner and to bed!
