What's at the Minnesota State Fair for me?

I normally love going to the fair. When I lived back in SPAMTown USA I'd hit up the good old Mower County Fair 4-5 times in its six day run -- not even counting the times I'd work my employer's booth at the fair. I'd always partake in at least one food item and wander down the midway or check out an exhibit building before heading back to the office. My other excursions centered around the midway or the far too popular beer garden. The prices weren't half bad and it broke up the monotony of the week.

But now I live in the general Twin Cities area and in the seven years I've lived here I think I've gone to the Minnesota State Fair four times. For one, it requires taking a day off work and driving to the opposite side of the Cities because I want no part of pushing my way through a bunch of slow walking folks who wreak of fried food and sweat as they wrangle their double-wide strollers through crowds and stand indecisively in front of each and every food booth whether they plan on making a purchase or not.

For some that is part of the charm of the fair -- the people and watching them. I'll admit that last year I caught some shade with the toddler as I fed her and watched the throngs of people who only seem to emerge in to public view during the ten day-long fair and it shows. There's always too much skin being shown and usually not by those who I wouldn't mind seeing some extra skin on.

For some reason, and I know it will make me out to be a total rube, I like to see the few media personalities who actually show up to the Minnesota State Fair. It makes the few who do show up seem a bit more human and relatable. As far as the food goes, after I had my first fried Snickers on a stick I officially swore off the new fangled fair food on a stick. It's gone too far. How long until some vendor actually sells deep fried t-shirts? It would be one hell of a novelty but not very practical or edible.

So I limit my Minnesota State Fair excursions to every other year. I take the day off from work and strike out for St. Paul. And I do the same with the Minnesota Renaissance Festival which I'll be going to this year. Again, it's a sweaty mass of people moving too slow for my own liking but the people watching alone makes for an interesting time. Who knows, maybe I'll end up being part of one of the audience participation shows again. But I'll still be stewing inside about the price of the food, people not covering themselves adequately and crowds moving far too slowly.

But it all makes for good photos. See what pops up in the coming weeks at MinnPics.