State Fair 2018 (Second Visit) - The Fair After Dark

Saturday, September 2, 2018

I love starting out at the fair in the later afternoon. That way, you get to see the lights come on after a few hours. Generally, as much as I love the fair, my endurance limit is around 4, maybe 5, hours. When Dale and I go we usually get there between 4 and 5 pm. This allows up to see the fair in the daylight and also at night. I remember as a kid we'd go after Dad got home from work. We'd arrive for dinner at the Mexican Village ( now the International Bazaar), get some treats, do a few rides, and hang out until it just started to get dark and the lights would come up. My fair endurance as an adult is pretty much the same as when I was a little kid. 

MN State Fair 2011 Day 2

In this morning's Strib there was a photo of the State Fair's Giant Slide with the caption:

"The Giant Slide is a staple at the State Fair, just as the State Fair is a staple of summer's end in Minnesota. The fair, which opened Thursday, runs through Labor Day."

I believe I've only tried the Giant Slide once way back when I was a just a kid. I was probably about 6 years old so it would have been in the early 1970's. I went by myself as Mom, Dad and Sam didn't want to go. As you can see in the above photo, you need to walk up a long set of stairs. At the top of the slide is a landing with a bunch of burlap potato sacks. You grab a sack to slide on on your way down. Once you're up the only way down is the slide unless you want to push through all the folks on the crowded set of stairs. I had second thoughts once I made it to the top but, being a good mid-westerner, I didn't want to chance bothering anyone by pushing my way back down the stairs. I grabbed a sack and down I went. I hated it. I felt like the air was being pushed out of me as I went over every bump. Oddly, despite this bad experience, I still have fond memories of the Giant Slide.

Minnesota State Fair Memories

I have some very early memories of attending the Minnesota State Fair. I remember going with my Mom and Dad and my Grandma and Grandpa (on my Dad's side) in what would have been the late sixties or very early 1970s. In some ways the Fair is like Christmas. It comes but once a year, it's exciting, I have memories of it that go way back, it brings to mind a specific time of year, and the anticipation preceding it (especially as a kid) is intense!