2 weeks Ago By Michael Johnson
The Minnesota State Fair certainly lives up to the name of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. I have never in my entire life been anywhere where so many other people also wanted to be. I tend to seek out the lesser-knowns of the world.
The hidden gems. The secret gardens. The middle-of-nowhere pasture that only the cows seem to know about.
Those who have been to the State Fair know that the fair is not that place. It’s great, big and boasts of something for everyone. I arrived on Thursday, opening day, thinking I would get a head start and beat the crowds.
Dead wrong. (I would find out the next day that the fair hit a record first-day attendance of 138,875.) The fair utilizes 31 parking lots throughout the Twin Cities to park and ride to the fair for free.
You know I'm going to utilize a free ride. My son, sister and I hit up the closest option near our hotel by the University of Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis and found that the lot was already full. We rolled to another parking lot, which was adjacent to another parking lot.
Both showed signs indicating that they were full. I drove past only to watch another car pull up and parking lot attendants let them in. Baffled by the mixed messages, I pulled out my first U-turn of the day and signaled to go in.
Begrudgingly they realized they better let me in, too. Whew! I realized I was in. Smooth sailing from here.
Well, not really, but there was no use turning back at that point. We hopped out and raced down the sidewalk toward three waiting buses. All three were full, but one bus driver offered to take us if we didn’t mind standing.
Not a problem. I just sat the last three hours getting there, I can stand. Bus drivers in the Twin Cities are a breed of their own.
I mean that in a good way. I can hardly manage to venture the Cities by car, but they were bobbing and weaving, braking and accelerating through traffic like they were invincible. Meanwhile, I held on to the overhead pipe just behind the driver, trying my best not to launch forward as if I were riding a wave headed hastily toward shore.
We pulled up to the fairgrounds and I entered into my first of many lines that day. There are many self-serve pay stations as you enter the fair, so getting tickets in is a breeze. After a quick search of my giant backpack, I was allowed in and I entered the flow of traffic which is anything but orderly.
It’s hard to expect anything orderly when you have so much to see, so much to buy, so many directions to go. While I was there to work, arrange interviews and find people to chat with, most everyone else there did not care about that. They were there to have fun — and they sure did.
There was a field of microphones where young women were singing karaoke for the world to hear. There was every kind of food from many nations from Egyptian to Finnish. After I had visited with a few people and walked past countless food trucks, I settled on “Hotdish on a Stick.
” It sounded good as a light rain began to fall across the fairgrounds and the temperature flirted with 70 degrees. It genuinely was a delight, especially with a cup of gravy to go with it. As I walked away, a couple young men walked by and one asked the other, “What’s hotdish?” “It’s casserole,” the other said.
I’m surprised a debate didn’t break out among event goers right then and there. There must not have been any other Minnesotans in earshot. I’m not actually sure what earshot would be at the Minnesota State Fair, however.
The loudness of the fair is nearly inescapable. I know I am making the fair sound miserable, but it’s really not. (Though the few hours of rain was frustrating.
) It just works over your senses in such a way that someone like myself can quickly become overwhelmed. I saw the most beautiful horses I have ever seen. I tasted foods I would never think to make or buy anywhere else.
Every few steps sent a new smell at me — all of them were mostly good. Many took my mind places my body may never go again. I heard screams of delight from the Midway and felt the passion and pride that so many 4-H exhibitors had as they stood ready to compete in one of the biggest competitions in the world.
I could tell my son was overwhelmed by things, too. But for at least one moment, he stood in front of the revolving butter carving stage and watched the dairy princess have her head carved into butter. He was mesmerized by such a bizarre yet beautiful thing.
As I exited that place that evening, I watched as a man and woman in their 60s locked lips just under the giant archway of the fairgrounds. It wasn’t just some peck and I am guessing it was a tradition for them. For the right person or people, this place is magical.
For this small-town boy, it was a lot to take in. I arrived at the bus gates just in time to watch the buses fill. I found my spot standing behind the driver as we both looked forward to the day coming to a close.
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