Fun and Lots of Food at the State Fair - Denise Devine

Summer is almost over. It went by fast, didn’t it? Though I hate to see it go, I'm glad it always ends with “The Great Minnesota Get-Together” at the state fair. Our state fair is one of the top five blue ribbon fairs in the country with attendance totaling about two million visitors over the ten-day event, ending on Labor Day. I love the fair and go almost every year with my family.

Misty in front of the butter sculptures

The main attraction is, of course, the food! Everything comes on a stick and is usually deep-fried, but it’s hard to resist. The moment you walk through the entrance you’re in junk food heaven—pronto pups, cheese curds, French fries by the bucket, pizza, bacon-wrapped turkey drumsticks, foot-long hot dogs, pork chop on a stick, to name a few. We even have tater tot hot dish on a stick! (Don’t ask me how they manage that one. I’ve never had it.) I can’t even begin to name all of the desserts, but some of the most popular ones are the mini-donuts, Sweet Martha’s chocolate chip cookies, the Minneapple (deep-fried) Pie and of course, who can resist the caramel apples, deep-fried Twinkies and Snickers Bars? Yikes! I’m getting sugar overload just listing them!



 Me and Smokey the Bear in the DNR Building

There are a lot of fun things to do besides eat. We always walk through the horse barns. I love looking at the beautiful horses. Then we visit the miracle birth center and see all of the newborn farm animals. It’s hot in there and packed with people, but I can’t resist looking at all of the sweet baby lambs, piglets and calves. We check out the DNR Building, the Heritage Center, the International Bazaar and spend some time at the band shells, listening to live music. One of my favorites is the Creative Arts Building. My daughter, Misty, and I look at all of the handmade quilts, sweaters, clothing and needlework. Every year I gaze at those jars of homemade jams and tell myself I’m going to learn how to do that.

This year I went to the horticulture building and collected all the information I could find on creating a sustainable flower garden for native bees and butterflies. I got some free wildflower seeds and bought a home grown apple. I went to the health fair and stepped on the scale... (Oops. I’ll diet tomorrow!)

That’s my “end of summer” ritual. What’s yours? A vacation or family reunion at the cabin?

 

Denise Devine is an award-winning author of inspirational romance and sweet romantic comedy. You can visit her at www.deniseannettedevine.com



 

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