Sunday, September 8th, 2024
Dale and I attended the the final Sunday of the Fair a week ago today. Turns out it set a daily attendance record. The previous record for the final Sunday was 245,243 set in 2019.
Next year's Fair is set for August 21 to September 1.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Our final stop was the Giant Sing Along.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Dale and I started getting tired around half past noon.
We started heading toward the north entrance but made a couple stops along the way.
The sunflower patch was one of 'em.
The honeybees were very attentive.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
After the Midway it was back to the Blue Moon for one of my Fair favorites, sweetcorn ice cream.
Back in 2012 the now defunct local rag, City Pages gave it its Best State Fair Food Award. Here's what they had to say about it: "Sure, the cheese curds are delightful, and there's always a healthy line for walleye on a stick, but it's the unusual pairings and unique concepts at the Minnesota State Fair that adventurous attendees get really excited about. Enter the sweet corn ice cream, a dish that blends a serving of veggies with your dessert. While this may sound like an odd duo, it's a satisfying alternative to the traditional fair gut busters. The cool treat manages to strike a pleasant balance between creamy and corny, with a healthy handful of corn nuts adding to the crunchy texture. If you want to go even more experimental, order it with the bacon maple syrup to emphasize the sweet and salty notes." Simply put it's just really yummy.
The episode of The Brady Bunch where Peter meets his double was playing in the theater.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Today, not so much.
However, today it brings back fond memories and is fun to look at day or night.
No rides for us but we had fun walking around.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
For lunch we made a stop at the Blue Moon Dine-In Theater.
Dale was jonesin' for the Burke Burger he had last time.
I got pepperoni pizza this time.
The movie playing in the theater was Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
Dale and I had both heard of it before but had never seen it. It was actually kind of funny and likable.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
We made a stop at the Horse Barn but mosgt of the horses had been taken out for judging. We were only able to find a few in their stalls. Here's one who was munching on a bag of hay.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
We left for the Fair around 9 a.m. The line for the north lot was pretty long so we decided to park on city streets.
We had to walk for about 8 blocks but no matter because it was a gorgeous morning.
Saturday, August 31, 2024
We're gonna make a 2nd trip for the season tomorrow!
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Dale and I had a great time at the State Fair yesterday. Today the Fair published yesterdays attendance total and it turns out it set a record for the 1st Friday of the Fair. The previous record was 164,741 set in 2023.
Friday, August 23, 2024
All good things must come to an end. Our last stop was the Great Big Wheel which the website describes as: "One of the tallest traveling giant Ferris wheels in North America is coming to the Minnesota State Fair! The Great Big Wheel carries riders to a height of 156 feet, offering breathtaking views of the State Fairgrounds and beyond! The 15-story-tall Great Big Wheel is equipped with 36 enclosed gondolas each holding six people. Don’t miss the spectacular lighting display as the sun goes down!" We didn't ride it however.
Friday, August 23, 2024
After the sheep barn we headed to the Bridgeman's booth. One of the new Fair foods I was wanting to try this year was the Lady Slipper Marble Sundae. The State Fair website describes it as: "Bridgeman's strawberry ice cream, lemon marshmallow cream and ladyfinger cookies layered in a cup and topped with whipped cream and a cherry." Dang it was good. Dale surprised me and got one too.
We ate them sitting on a bench behind the horse you see above. The Bridgeman's booth is just to the left of the horse's head. We watched people and horses going by.
Friday, August 23, 2024
More State Fair Fun. The 70s Magic Sunshine Band. If you listen closely you can almost hear me singing along. Dale and I stopped at the International Bazaar as we were walking back to the parking lot.
Friday, August 23, 2024
Dale and I headed over to the sheep/poultry barn next. One of the women ahead of us was carrying in a turkey.
I'll enlarge the picture. She's the one on the right. The turkey was calm, still, and very well behaved. I can only imagine what it'd do if I tried picking it up. I'm sure there's a trick to doing it right.
Although not overly hot it was very muggy in the barn so the sheep weren't very active.
This one seemed rather taken with me. I was gonna pet him but then he bit the top bar off the gate to his pen. I wasn't sure if that was a good sign.
Some had their wool shaved off so I imagine they were doing a bit better with the humidity than the others.
They all seemed pretty darn sweet.
Part of the fun of the Fair to me is that we can get up close to farm animals which is pretty cool since we're obviously so disconnected from farm life.
