How To Have Fun At The State Fair: Part Two

And thus, the journey continues. Welcome back to Jay & Kitty at the Fair. Let's pick right back up where we left off inside the Creative Activities Building where we just reveled in Kitty's big cake win. Once you have had time to peruse all the marvels of crafty Minnesotans move on into the "annex" which is filled with a variety of vendors hawking their wares. The first booth you encounter will be that of legendary pitchman Chef Harvey, who demonstrates and sells the Swiss Pro Peeler-a vegetable & fruit peeling wonder to behold. If you're fortunate Chef Harvey himself will be doing the demonstration which extols the wonders of this compact kitchen tool and in the end he'll throw in an assortment of other tools for a "State Fair only" package that will have you rushing the table, cash in hand.

Continue to wander the annex and you'll discover the Gedney Pickles booth, where you can get your free pickle hat. You'll also find the Elvas Jewel Joy Ring Cleaning booth which offers their "no ammonia ring cleaner safe for all jewelry" and to prove it, they will clean any ring for only .25 cents right there on the spot. Now we have stopped by there every year to get our annual ring cleaning done and in years past it has been done by some charming older lady. This last couple years though it has been a young man(see picture) who has a lovely tattoo across his knuckles that spells out the "F-word". Don't let that discourage you though, he is always kind and polite and he does a damn good job getting your jewelry shiny and clean.

The annex will connect you up with our next destination, which is the Education Building. This building, obviously, is all about education in Minnesota and is filled with booths from all the academic institutions around the state as well as government agencies and various non profits. This is your opportunity to get all the free canvas bags, pencils, pens, rulers, stickers, magnets, buttons....you could ever want. Well that and lots of really great information, such as the absolutely free government handbooks on subjects ranging from taxes, rentals & landlords, telemarketing and how to buy your first home. Eventually you'll make it through the frenzied crowd(it does get crazy busy in here) and end up at the far end of the building which features
an expansive length of blue showcases that is filled with artwork done by school children grades "K through 12". This is your first look at the future great artists in our fine state and every single year you will be amazed at some of the talent our schools are putting forth. I must say this year has one of the most prolific group of artists from every single age group, both Kitty and I found ourselves doubling checking the ages of many artists. There are some mighty talented 2nd and 3rd graders out there. This is also a good way for us single folks, without kids, to connect with the younger generation and see what things have influence in their thinking.
Next up The 4-H Building ("Head, Heart, Hands, Health") which proudly extols the wonders of all that is 4-H and offers up a variety of displays showing the various projects the 4-Hers have done through the past year. From crafts and photography to bug collecting, you'll see just how invaluable this organization continues to be to our rural youth community. One highlight each year is the Minnesota 4-H State Art-in Performance stage production which performs 3-4 times each day through the duration of the fair. "For eight days in the beginning of August, 88 youth from all across Minnesota, ranging in age from 15 to 19, come together to create the stage, costumes, the songs and the energy..." which make up the yearly showcase. The show even features a live orchestra which is perched right above the main performance stage(see photo). It is always lively and enjoyable, plus a great way to rest those tired feet and legs. Did I mention it is totally free! Support this great rural youth program, go check it out.

Now it's on to The Fine Arts Building, the fairs showcase to Minnesota's artistic talent of all kinds. This is a juried show, so it represents a pretty broad variety of artwork in every medium possible; painting, photography, sculpture, pottery, jewelry, woodcarving and so on. It's a great place to get out of the elements(sun or rain) and see the artistic spirit of Minnesotans in action. Remember, "art is in the eye of the beholder", so you'll see things you'll love and lots of stuff you probably won't appreciate. But most every year you'll find some true surprises and discover some new talented artists.

The Progress Center Eco Experience is a showcase for cutting age technology and most recently all things ecological; from foods, clothing and building materials to new energy sources. It's a great way to educate yourselves on ways we as individuals can better our lives and the planet at large. Be sure to stop by and say 'hi' to the really stellar folks at Organic Valley Family Of Farms, they'll let you sample some of their fine products and you can meet some of the farmers who help produce them as well.

Alright, alright-let's get some food! You are now in the area of the fairgrounds known as The North Woods, there are no woods per say, but there is fun things to see and GREAT things to eat! One of our absolute favorite food stops is Giggles Campfire Grill, offering truly delicious
food and I must say-at excellent prices. They are THE place to come if you want Walleye! They have fresh walleye fries, walleye cakes and a foot-long walleye sandwich which is pretty dang tasty. Other offerings include Big game bratwurst (elk, buffalo, pork), elk burgers, salmon wrap, chicken tenders, salmon on-a-stick, breaded and fried chicken on-a-stick, porcupine meatballs on-a-stick (wild rice and ground pork), chocolate covered fruit in a boat, watermelon sherbet, raspberry sherbet and a fine assortment of beverages. The food is cooked fresh all day, every day and they have numerous picnic tables for you to sit and enjoy. Kitty went with the walleye cakes and I chose the coconut encrusted chicken tenders on a stick (which included a small side of papaya)-YUMMY! Most entree' items will only set you back $5-7, a supreme bargain even outside the fair for such delectable food items.

Things to see and do in the "north woods" include the IRONJACK Timber Team show, yes handsome burly men and strappin' cute gals demonstrate their lumberjack skills. Ron Schara's Minnesota Bound gives you the opportunity to meet the host of the television outdoors show as well as his beloved and adorable sidekick Raven. They also have a fully stocked gift shop where you can buy your very own Raven t-shirts and they do a couple daily performances which are totally free.

More food you say? Well look no further than the one, the only, the now legendary Carl's Gizmo Sandwiches. Gizmo sandwiches are loose beef and pork in a hoagie bun, topped with red sauce, mozzarella cheese and then baked...gooey, delicious nirvana! They also offer a loose meat burger and hot dogs...but be sure to try the Gizmo! They will gladly offer you a plastic knife so you can cut it in two and share it with a friend.

From here we reach the north end of the fairgrounds, home to the Twins Experience-all things Minnesota Twins(batting, pitching, a glimpse of the new ballpark and of course the pro-shop for all Twins merchandise needs.) Also this year is the Baseball American Game Fan Fest tent which features displays of vintage uniforms and photographs, as well as batting and pitching cages.

The Minnesota Pet Center is also located on the north end and here you can check out specific breeds of dogs and cats, see them in action and even watch some live pet surgeries(not recommended on a stomach full of fair food.)

In the west corner of the north end you will come across the X-Zone skate park, this is hosted each year by the 3rd Lair Skate Park and features Minnesota's finest skateboarders and BMXers doin' their thing. Unfortunately it was pouring down rain when we got there, so there was no show going on. 3rd Lair also has a gigantic storefront set up for all your skateboarding needs; t-shirts, shoes, stickers, boards and accessories. Great group-check 'em out!!

Heading back down the fairgrounds you enter Machinery Hill(though I don't think the fairgrounds formally calls it that anymore), which is filled with all things...well machinery. You'll find the latest in all-terrain vehicles, tractors, trucks, cars, tools and the like. Kitty and I like to select what vehicles we'd buy if we had endless financial resources and a huge country home. In days gone by, this area used to be the showcase for all things related to farming; tractors, combines, thrashing machines, silos and such...but with the decline in our family farms-this area has diversified to offer more gentrified machinery needs for the general public.

Throughout the fairgrounds you will find representation from every TV and radio outlet in the area. Each offering up their airwave personalities, usually broadcasting live and generally an assortment of wares for sales. Our favorite is FM107 which is a local talk radio station. They have an eclectic array of both local and syndicated personalities that truly appeal to the common folk, usually without all the heavy political or sports talk. From the endearing husband and wife team of Ian and Margery to the "drive-time divas"-gossip extraordinaries Lori and Julia(love 'em!) and even our own national celebrity and foodie Andrew Zimmern (host of Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel) along with his endlessly talented co-host Colleen Kruse (one of the all-time funniest local comedians and super babe!) These areas are another great way to give your barkin' dogs a break and take in some idle conversation, again for the very reasonable price of FREE!

Be sure to share the highlights of your day and just say "hi" to friends and family by sending your very own State Fair postcard. You can find official postcards at the various State Fair gift shops-the best of which is located at Visitors Plaza. The "plaza" is a great resting and meeting spot near the center of the fairgrounds and offers not only the gift shop, but also a full service post office and banking facilities(ATMS.) Once you purchase your postcards fill 'em out on the spot, address them to your lucky recipient and take them into the post office, where once stamped they will give it the official state fair postmark! It's a cheap, fun way to put a smile on someones face who couldn't be there with you.

Just across the street from the "plaza" is the Butterfly House (the former home to the legendary classic arcade-now sadly dismantled), which allows the visitors to interact in a room filled with butterflies. Sorry, not my "cup of tea" and both Kitty & I still hold a grudge against the Fair Association for kicking out the arcade folks and all their classic arcade games and fortune telling machine. Just behind the butterflies in the same building is a tiny remnant of the former arcade which features a hand full of classic photo booths and for only $3 you can capture your joy & excitement on a beautiful strip of 4 black & white photos. A MUST DO!!

What would a fair be without the midway! The MN State Fair offers not one but THREE separate midways; The Kidway is just below Machinery Hill and caters to the younger fairgoers. A family friendly assortment of kiddie rides that will thrill and delight the young ones-it's also a wonderful place to sit and watch the endless smiles and laughter. Then further south and west is the Carousel Park/Adventure Park which host-but of course a carousel along with an assortment of "extreme rides"-you know the "skyScaper", the "Sling Shot", a bungy jump thing and other devices sure to help you purge and scream at the top of your lungs.

Still further west is The Mighty Midway-the original midway, with all it's thrilling rides and beckoning barkers hawking there carnival games-it's the place of our childhood. Now it's been gentrified over the years; there are no more "adult show" stripper tents and the "freak shows" of human oddities and natural deformities are all long gone. But the midway still holds that magic charm that brings back the kid in all of us and you just can't help but smile as you walk along it's adorned pathways. At the far end of the midway, there is the new generation sideshow-World Of Wonders Palace Of Illusions, featuring amazing feats of "wonder" & "illusion"-sword swallowing, fire eating and the immortal strongman are but a few of it's offerings. I truly love their use of the classic sideshow painted banners, it really brings back such terrific memories; I can remember snake lady(a womans head with a snake body) or the frozen iceman like it was yesterday.

Let's go just north of the Mighty Midway and get a taste of the fair history by visiting the History Museum in Heritage Square. Heritage Square is a nostalgic little area that features vendors selling homemade soaps, leather goods, candles & woodwork alongside roasted nuts, turkey legs and kettlecorn popcorn. You should also patronize the Watkins booth, a Winona Minnesota company that has produced a wide array of home products since 1868. You'll find a great selection of both home baking and cleaning products alongside personal care products-all made from the finest ingredients and best of all you support a wonderful small town Minnesota company whose town was recently ravaged by the rain storms and floods. This area is also home to The History Museum-a must-see for all fairgoers. Most of it is housed in old railroad cars and it features a wide array of fair history & artifacts; from photos, pieces of exhibits and carnival rides, side-show artifacts, costumes and skates from the lavish ice shows that used to perform at the fair and wonderful insight in how the fair has changed and evolved over the years. DO NOT MISS IT!

There is also a small performance stage that showcases country, polka, folk and "old timey" music-check the daily schedule for list of performers. Also this year, there is a small tent that houses a traveling exhibit called the Honky-Tonk Hall Of Fame And Rock-N-Roll Roadshow. It features authentic stage clothing, instruments, awards and hand written letters and notes from recording artists such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Hank Williams and others. It's small & cramped but filled with interesting memorabilia and once again totally FREE.

Now what visit to the Minnesota State Fair would be complete without a visit to the Empire Commons Building to see the immortal butterhead sculptures. Yes, every year all the various princesses crowned at the fair are immortalized in butter-12 in all. In 1965, the American Dairy Association of Minnesota began its tradition of having the likenesses of dairy princesses sculpted in butter. For 36 of those years Linda Christensen has been creating these sculptures for the Minnesota Dairy Association at the fair. "Each sculpture is carved from a 90-pound block of Grade A butter. The butter blocks are produced at AMPI in New Ulm exclusively for this activity at the State Fair. They are packaged and transported to the fair in specially made containers." The temperature inside the rotating glass booth is kept at 38°F, thus the need for each princess to wear winter clothing during her 6-8 hour sitting. We were very fortunate to witness the first of the 12 sculptings, that being the one of Princess Kay Of The Milky Way-Ann Miron(waving to us in the picture.) You'll notice the other butter blocks on the outer ring showing the picture of the other princesses waiting to be immortalized.
What becomes of the sculptures after the fair? Well, each princess gets to take them home and most use them for community events (like a pancake feed) or even at their own wedding receptions. I don't know, having friends and even complete strangers hacking into your butter likeness kinda creeps me out. But such is the life of a Minnesota princess.

Also inside the Empire Building you'll find the Minnesota Dairy Association ice cream stand(as it were), which offers a very tasty selection of soft serve cones, sundaes and malts. Nothing like a chocolate malt on a hot summer day.

Beyond all the midway rides are a few State Fair only classics you must indulge in:
>The Giant Yellow Slide: This one is a true blast from the past that every single person, young or old should partake in. It is of course a giant yellow and green metal slide that you ride down on burlap sacks. At only a few bucks-you are guaranteed a quick thrill and a broad smile!

>The Skyride: This is a classic gondola ride which takes you over a couple different sections of the fairgrounds in either a fully enclosed gondola(the classic shown to the left) or the newer section that has a ski-lift type seat. I'd recommend the classic version as it goes over the area in front of the Grandstand and ends up at either Heritage Square or the Agriculture/Horticulture Building(depending on which starting point you choose.) The newer version takes you across Machinery Hill. It's a great way to get from "point a to point b" and gives you a nice view of the crowd below.

>Space Tower: Get a birds eye view of the Twin Cities with a ride on the Space Tower, you might remember seeing similar rides popular at fairs and expos in the 70's. It's basically a 340 foot high tower with a revolving platform that has two enclosed floors for seating. Once seated, the platform gently and slowly revolves around and up the giant metal pole and gives you a beautiful view of the landscape surrounding the fairgrounds. No seat is a bad seat as the entire platform revolves completely around going up and coming down.

>Ye Old Mill: Those looking for the immortal "tunnel of love" look no further, for 92 years this serene little boat ride has been enchanting folks in the heart of the fairgrounds. It's little red boats will gently take you through a long dark tunnel, accentuated only occasionally by small lighted dioramas of garden gnomes or some inane thing. This is perfect for young and old looking for a quiet moment of solace to cuddle, smooch and perhaps even sneak a little kiss.

>Other Stuff: Other attractions you'll find each year at the fair include; The Haunted House, River Raft Ride, Pirate Tag(an air gun target game above the River Raft ride), Robot Combat(a fighting robots arena show), Go Carts(new this year), Little Farm Hands(a hands-on children's exhibit to help children learn about farming), The DNR Building(an interactive exhibit about Minnesota nature and the outdoors-features an immense fish pond), International Bazaar(a wide variety of international vendors-food & products), The Grandstand (home to not only the big live shows, but inside is a giant expo featuring a WIDE variety of vendors hawking their wares), The Miracle Of Birth Center(go see little baby farm animals and sometimes even live birth), plus don't forget the variety of live entertainment stages-a daily schedule is available at the various information booths throughout the fairgrounds.

Food Wonderful Food!: Here's some quick little food recommendations
every fair goer should take to heart.

>Bring a big bottle of water with you, it will help keep you hydrated and save you some money on beverages so you can spend it on the important stuff-FOOD.

>Pronto Pups are the original corn dog at the fair-corn dogs, really-need I say more.

>Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob-the absolute best is near the grandstand-next to that gator place. Hey it's a vegetable after all, right?!

>Nitro Ice Cream located inside the Food Building has delicious-made on the spot(with the use of liquid nitrogen) vanilla ice cream and they offer a delicious choice of cones made either from chocolate chip cookie dough or a pretzel version which is de-licious!

>Wild Rice Gourmet Burgers also located in the food building offers a freshly grilled cheeseburger that is made with Minnesota wild rice-out of this world tasty.

>Blue Moon Dine In Theater is one of the most clever and well done dining experiences at the fair. Not only does it feature a killer breakfast menu(can you say Belgium waffles!), an assortment of hot dogs(they even have a "peanut butter hot dog" this year-hmmm), hamburgers, popcorn chicken(served with popcorn) and a fab drink menu(hello cherry limeade!)...BUT, the dining area is made up of old car seats all facing a giant movie screen where they show old movies, cartoons and shorts all day. Great food, perfect place to rest and relax.

>Well there are so, so many other things to eat yourself silly around the fairground; cheese curds, Sweet Marthas cookies, kool-aid soaked pickles, mac n' cheese on a stick, sloppy joes on a stick, cream puffs, pork chops on a stick....endless are the choices, but choose well, pace yourself and DON'T forget the antacids!

That wraps up our little tour of the great Minnesota State Fair. Don't forget to take advantage of the many information booths throughout the fairgrounds they will offer free guides to daily events, deals drawings & giveaways as well as free maps and advice. ENJOY!