The great Minnesota get together.  That time of year when a million people gather to eat, visit, mingle and just get away from hustle and bustle of life for a few short hours.  Yes, this is the Minnesota state fair.

It had been15 years since I had been to the fair and now I have been back three years in a row.  It is a very interesting experience.  It is crowded and for someone like me, that is not a place I want to be.  I am not a big crowd fan.  I do not stand in lines.  I am impatient in having to wait.  There are few places to sit.  It is too expensive.  But through it all, I really have enjoyed it.  Weird!

There is so much to see that after three years we still have not seen it all.  Now we don’t spend 8 hours there.  Probably closer to 3-4 hours.  Maybe that is why it is more tolerable.  In small doses it is doable.  Here are a few of our favorites:

[singlepic id=9 w=320 h=240 float=right]The horticulture building. I am fascinated by the bees, grains and produce they have on display.  The 1000 pound pumpkin is pretty unreal to see.  Each time I go in there, both Julie and I get a little more interested in raising bees.

[singlepic id=7 w=320 h=240 float=left]The food. Our first stop, the cheese curds in the food building.  Even though it may sound “not right”.  I think that is my favorite food at the fair.  In all of it’s greasy goodness!  The next stop was a home made nut roll.  Wow, that was really good also.  It was huge! Not too salty, but for 4 bucks it was a tad overpriced – but then again what isn’t.

[singlepic id=8 w=320 h=240 float=right]Machinery Hill – Old Iron Show. On display was old farm tractors, some going back almost 100 years. Other small engines that were absolutely fascinating to see.  My dad loved this area the most.  He recognized some of those single piston engines as ones that used to pump water with when he was growing up.

[singlepic id=6 w=320 h=240 float=left]The food. The 1919 root beer was a big hit.  The floats were especially good.  One of my fair favorites was next, the “Turkey to go”  turkey sandwich.  It is shredded chicken that is really juicy on a fresh bun.  The bun does get a little soaked though.  Something I can look past.

[singlepic id=13 w=320 h=240 float=right]The farmers union. The last couple of years they had a group of old time accordion, organ, and violin music players playing there.  They play Swedish music and it was so good we bought their CD last year.  I never thought I would like that kind of music so much.

[singlepic id=11 w=320 h=240 float=left]The food. Up next?  The Fresh French Fries.  The go through 150 tons of potatoes at the fair.  My dad is talking to the French Fry guy who has been at the fair for the last 19 years.  Lastly, the pickle on a stick that Julie always needs to get before we go.

Although we missed a bunch of food stands and exhibits (we did not even go into the animal barns), we know that next year we will take another bite out of what we missed this year.  Get it, bite out of . . .  the food?  The fair and food?  Anyone?  Anyhoo,  till next year!