State Fair 2024 - The 70s Magic Sunshine Band

 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. 

State Fair 2018 (Second Visit) - Frog

Sunday, September 2, 2018

I came across frogs like this at the International Bazaar on my first visit to the fair this year. This time I picked one up. It's awesome and makes a really cool sound. 

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. 

State Fair 2018 (First Visit) - International Bazaar & Siama Part 2

Saturday, August 25, 2018

I found the following on Siama's Facebook page:

State Fair 2018 (First Visit) - International Bazaar & Siama Part1

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Decided to head next to the International Bazaar and it was here I committed to doing the walking tour of the Fair.

The sign says: International Bazaar. Built 1970, renamed in 1984 and 2008. 

Then: The Mexican Village opened in 1970 and was instantly popular. It was renamed the Bazaar in 1984 and the International Bazaar in 2008.

Now: The International Bazaar features food, products, music, and art from many cultures.

While at the Bazaar I noticed an awesome fanny pack at the Vagabond Imports booth. I bought it with the intention of using it right away. 

A group called Siama, named after its leader, was playing on the stage so I sat down to listen for a bit. They were quite good and the rest of the crowd seemed to agree with me. 

I walked around the Bazaar some more and made mental notes about what I might like to purchase next time I'm here.

Fair 2015 - Visit #2: Oh, What a Night

Friday, September 4, 2015

Round 2 of the State Fair for 2015 this afternoon. Took Mom to see Prairie Home Companion at the Grandstand for her birthday. I had school today and Mom came by to help in the classroom. We met Dale at the house after school, got Athena taken care of and were off to the Fair by 4:30.

We arrived a little past 5:00. It was 90 degrees out and the radio had just reported a heat index of around 100, which, I believe, made it just about the hottest day of the year. The humidity was nasty. Mom was sore and moving rather slow having just started a new exercise regime earlier in the week. I was a little worried about her but she insisted that she was okay if we didn’t mind moving a little slower than usual and were willing to sit down from time to time. Wasn’t a problem.

We stopped by the John Deere booth to visit with her friend Gary who was volunteering there. We then hit the Pronto Pup stand (for me) and the gyros stand (for Mom and Dale). Yummy stuff. The Pronto Pup wasn’t as substantial as the gyros so I grabbed a slice a pizza from Green Mill.

Our next stop was beer for Mom and Dale. On the way to the Leine Lodge we stopped by the Kemps Cow for a photo taken by Mom. I thought it turned out cute.

Mom and Dale got their beer and we found a bench under the Space Needle. It was a cooling station so water misters above us rained little droplets to keep us comfortable. It wasn’t heavy enough to get us wet. We had a great view of Judson Avenue as it wraps around toward the International Bazaar. Great people watching.

Our next destination was the Corn Roast stand. Mom and I each got an ear drenched in butter. It was very sweet and delicious. Dale said it probably came off the stalk that morning.  My, my that was some tasty stuff.

Next to the Blue Moon Dine-In Theater. I’d convinced Dale that he really needed to try the chilled bread pudding there. I went with the chocolate brownie version again with candied pecans only this time I went with the caramel sauce instead of chocolate. Dale went with the corn muffin bread pudding and, like me, got the caramel sauce with candied pecans. He loved it as I suspected he might.  We found a bench for Mom and Dale to sit down and looked up the street past Andy’s Grille toward the Midway.

Finally it was time to move toward the Grandstand for the Prairie Home Companion show. What a delight that turned out to be. It wasn’t surprising how wonderful the whole experience was since I’ve seen it at the Fair twice before. Mr. Keillor warmed up the crowd by walking through the audience while singing. The guests included Jearlyn and Jevetta Steele who sang, among other things, Reach Out (I’ll Be There) and Proud Mary. The Steep Canyon Rangers, a bluegrass group that I’d never heard of before, played as well. They were great. Garrison Keillor, Sue Scot, and Tim Russell performed a hilarious bit about a son calling home and talking to his passive aggressive mother and distant father. Of course, there was a report from Lake Wobegon and a Guy Noir appearance. It was all fabulous fun. Mom and Dale loved it as well.

Our trek back to the car after the performance was leisurely so as to accommodate Mom. On the way back she convinced me to get an order of Tom Thumb mini-donuts to share. It was all great fun and I’m already looking forward to next year.

State Fair 2013 - International Bazaar

When we stepped out of the Food Building we found ourself nextdoor to the haunted house. Kids dressed up as Michael Jackson, Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger, and an evil clown, etc. were doing the Thriller dance in the front yard of the haunted house.  When they finished dancing they tried to act fierce and  scary to lure people in.  There was something comical about seeing these monsters boogie down and get their groove on (which they did quite well, by the way) and then quickly transition to fright mode. We next headed to the International Bazaar where I noticed these Day of the Dead figurines. Charisse found a chartruese Scandinavian sweeter and Shayla stocked up on a few mermaid dolls at the Hmong booth. Mike, who recently picked up an additional job, joked that he now knew where his extra money would be going. Shortly After this, Shay and her friend conked out so Mike and Charisse had to get them home. It was fun spending time at the fair with them for a second year in a row.