The Minnesota State Fair is a big deal. It runs for 10 days, prior to and including the US Labor Day Weekend. Nearly 2 million people attend the fair and I want to be one of them, experiencing this typical American extravaganza. For many people, it has to do with nostalgia of the old days when as kids they came to the fair with their family and friends, for others it’s a yearly tradition, and for many others it’s just plain ol’ fun.
I’m not surprised when the university car parks which, for the duration of the fair, donated for free use to people who do not want to drive into the heart of the madness, are already full. People desperate to park for free hug the curb creating a long snake of cars, patiently waiting for someone to return and vacate a spot. I understand the need for their patience – regular entrance fee is $15. Add tickets for the family, food, drinks and tokens for rides and the day at the fair gets pricey. I’m only here for the day and paying for one ticket, so I dish out the money for paid parking and hop onto a free shuttle.
The first sight I’m greeted by is a massive lot full of RVs. They are packed as tightly and neatly as Tetris blocks – this is no exaggeration; one RV is parked so close it touches the fence, its extensions pulled out. The RV opposite is slotted in perfectly, it’s extension fitting in snugly next to the other RV’s extensions. There is enough space between the two for one human being to pass. This tight arrangement is repeated throughout the lot. Paint the RVs red, blue, yellow and green and you have a completed Tetris game.
As soon as I enter the park I am torn: the smells of fried food, music, people and other attractions pull me in all directions. Having been in small towns and deserted forests for the past many weeks, this seeming chaos is disorienting and my senses go into shock. I find an arena where a youth horse-jumping competition is going on – I sit in the quiet darkness and review the fairgrounds map, let my heart settle. A parade is about to start and I decide that listening to high-school marching bands is a soothing way to start my State Fair experience and get used to the masses of people.
I spend the rest of my day wandering around the park, watching the semifinals to a Talent Show, listening to an group sing the National Anthem while everyone within hearing distance stops and places their hand on their heart, baseball caps off their heads. I stuff myself with fried food, navigate a maze of display shelves full of winning breads, cakes, cookies, scrapbooks, quilts and other crafts.
One of my favourite places in the park is the Miracle of Birth Centre. It’s full of children who gasp at seeing chicks, piglets, calves, lambs and other baby animals. I get to see a lamb, who is still being licked clean by her mum, try to stand on her wobbly legs before falling back down and trying again. Vets are around, waiting to assist in labour and assess the health of newborns.
The big lesson I take way from the fair is that you can have anything on a stick. Of course, the usual things like corn dogs and corn on the cob, but mac’n’cheese, pickles, s’mores and all other foods can come on a stick. How, you ask? Well, for the food, bunch it up into a ball, roll it in batter, deep fry, plunge a stick through it and serve it to an eager customer.
If it doesn’t come on a stick, it’s almost certainly going to be deep fried, as was my lunch – deep fried grilled-cheese bits and 2 deep-fried Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups served on a stick. Its oily, and delicious. A cold beer helps the food find its way down to my stomach. I also try a deliciously savoury Swedish Egg Coffee that is served by Jacob, a very enthusiastic volunteer who has been serving coffee and other Swedish delights at the fair for the past 5 years.
