Minnesota State Fair

A week ago tomorrow we spent a day at the Minnesota State Fair. We haven't been in years, so neither Elizabeth or Rachel remembered it. We made up for our lack of fair attendance by arriving at 9:00 am and staying until 6:00 pm.

I still can't believe we made it for 9 hours. Sarah crashed in the stroller for a little while, and the other two made us proud by walking the entire day. Rachel did have a couple short rides on John's shoulders, but they weren't for too long.

As any Minnesotan would know, the fair is famous for the large variety of food available and what you can get on a stick. However, our trip was complicated by the fact that we were avoiding dairy as a test for two weeks. (It was due to some stomachaches Rachel has been having, but for solidarity purposes we joined her for most of it.) So we packed some food for the day and not a cheese curd, malt or piece of pizza passed our lips. We (minus Rachel) did have some milk with our cookies, but who couldn't.

So though we couldn't eat much, we did see a lot. We were able to follow the cycle of food production at the family farm, take in a Total Recall dog show, a lumberjack show, the daily parade, some of the horse judging, a gondola ride, some of the exhibits, meet Ron Scharra and pet Raven, and watch lots of people.

Overall, I think it was a good day for everyone and a memorable way to end the summer. You couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather. It certainly was a way to wear everyone out. Rachel asked on the way home that we not go anywhere or do anything the next day. I think she more than wore herself out in the sun because she was running a mild fever when we got home and it was gone the next morning.

As you can see, Sarah really got into the headphones in the Eco building. It was fun to see her connect the sounds she was hearing with the pictures on the TV she was watching. Not to mention they looked so cute on her!