Friday, September 4, 2009

The Minnesota State Fair, Part 1

People sitting in multi-colored ski-lift chairs as they ride over the Fair
It was a beautiful day for the Minnesota State Fair -- clear and sunny, with a projected high of 80 degrees at most. I put on my silly hat and sunscreen, and headed out around 10 a.m.

Food

I had plans to cover more food territory than I could manage, what with only one person to help with the sampling. Next year, I must go to the Fair with at least three other people who want to share food and try lots of things!

Here's what I tried from my list before I got too full:

Piece of salmon on a stick with raspberry sauce and vidalia onions
Not the greatest photo, but the Salmon on a Stick from Giggles Campfire Grill was definitely great. It was named the best food at the Fair by James Norton of heavytable.com, and I'd have to agree.

Pieces of breaded and fried fish with lemon and pink dipping sauce
The Sunnies in a Boat (sunfish), also from Giggles, were a close second, though!

Minne-Soda sign

Glasses of reddish and golden liquids
Just outside the Eco-Experience building is the Renewing the Countryside store, which sells a few local fruits as well as these two Minne-sodas, in choke cherry and maple. Both are good (one tart, the other subtly sweet). Wish they came in half the size though! It was too much for just two people.

Then (after taking in the Fine Arts building and the Crop Art, which will appear in a separate post), we made our way to the Bazaar where we shared some Island Noodles and Summit on a Stick. I forgot to take their photos, however, so you will have to take my word for it.

Curled wafer cookie with whipped cream in side and strawberries and blueberries outside
We ended with the krumkake from Ole and Lena's. I thought it was pretty tasty, and less messy than my usual creampuff finale.

Miscellaneous Sightings

It wasn't all food at the Fair, of course.

Veggies in a horse-shoe shaped raised bed
There was a very informative permaculture display outside the Eco-Experience building, created by the Permaculture Research Institute - Cold Climate: raised beds made with coffee sacks (and coffeegrounds), with edible groundcovers growing thickly to crowd out weeds.

Scarecrow head with hair made from metal bottle caps
The best scarecrow in the Ag building. Love that hair!

Back of a man's shirt that says I have to poop
Thanks for sharing.

Exterior of Steichen's market with signs all over it
The Minnesota State Fair is large enough that it needs its own grocery store -- Steichen's, which has been in business since 1933.

Orange, green and red tractors
A rainbow of antique tractors up at the north end of the Fair.

Former public phone box filled with plants. Yellow pages still hangs below.
Where have all the phones gone? Long time passing? Gone to plants, every one. (Seen in the Fine Arts building.)

A brown goat eating hay
I find goats very appealing.

Back of an SUV painted with a sign that says FIVE TVs!
I think this was a used car lot, though I'm not sure. But hey, this SUV had five TVs in it! What does it say about our culture that we make vehicles that have five televisions in them?

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