FamiLee Life

MN State Fair

Yes, that is me with friends (Sun Yung, Mike, and Sarah) at the MN State Fair on Sunday night. I had vowed to never return to the fair after my one previous visit 3 years ago, but I guess "the times are a-changin" and I gave it another shot. Supposedly, the fair is the largest in the country which is pretty cool except when you realize it also means lots and lots of people. And for those who know me at all, know that I really don't like big crowds...particularly big crowds of large (tall and wide), drunk people who don't look where they are walking and act like ignorant idiots...forget Minnesota Nice (which is just passive aggressivity, anyway)....

Still, I decided to brave the crowds and took the park-ride over to Gate 20 where I paid $9 to enter. It took use a while to orient ourselves, find a beer stand (ordered a 20 oz. Heineken for $5.50), and then to find our friends. We succeeded in finding them at the corn roast stand, which is where you can purchase a hot, roasted corn still on the cob, lathered in butter, and heavily sprinkled with black pepper and butter. Yum.

Eventually, we perused the vendors inside the grandstand and then all decided to head over to Heritage Square which is a bit less crowded and full of odd, historical tidbits of information about MN and the fair. It was here that I came across this ridiculous cloth banner of the Oriental Torture Cabinet. It was beside some other equally ridiculous freak show banners. You can't see it on this one, but the bottom says "ALIVE" to make it all the more amazing.

After this great discovery, we sat for a long while and listened to some fiddle competition. That was cool...for the first 2-3 songs. After checking out a taxidermy vendor (who would buy such a thing at the fair and then have to haul it around all day long?), we decided to grab some food and then go on some rides...

By this point in the day, it was evening and the weather was getting cool. It also seems as if the crowds had changed and there were less children around and more young people (teens, hipsters, college students, folks not working on Monday). I also must admit that the fair, much like Mall of America, is one of the few racially, ethnically integrated public places in the state. Here is a photo from atop the ferris wheel.

At some point, Mike and I decided to see if some guy could guess our ages within 2 years. You pay $1 or $2. If he is wrong, you can pick from a random set of cheap, Chinese import gifts. He asks to see your hands (the back of them) presumably to look for wrinkles and stares you up and down. Then, he writes a number on a little pad, puts his thumb over it, and asks your age. Of course, he guessed wrong for both of us, thinking we were 25. I selected a small teddy bear decked out in a bandana and a p/leather vest that I gave to a friend who probably will give it to her child.

Toward the end of the evening, my friend, Kristen, wanted to go on the Zipper. Feeling more in the spirit of things, I agreed to go on the ride with her. Okay, so what is the Zipper? Imagine a small space ship capsule...you sit (or rather set your butt on a slope) with your head slightly forward because the capsule is so tiny. Then, they close the door on you, which looks like a steel fence, so you feel like a caged animal. You grab a hold of the door/fence and wait...

This ride is not designed for anyone with too much alcohol in them. It was intense, exhilarating, and nauseating. Much more intense than a roller coaster because there is no lull. Basically, it is like a bicycle chain held vertical with about 8 or so capsules attached to it. Once the Zipper starts moving in an oblong circular motion, each capsule spins forward and backwards 360 degrees...really, really fast and really, really jerky. You have to scream or yell to keep from getting nauseated and to keep breathing. We made it through and it was perhaps the highlight of the evening for me.

We also went on the roller coaster and played a few arcade games to basically use up the rest of our tickets which we bought too many of. Then, we started to bump into all sorts of random people that we knew. It just goes to show you how small the Twin Cities can be even at the largest state fair.

I was exhausted by 9:30 pm and Sun Yung and I decided to leave the fair. It was a good 4 plus hours at the fair. I admit that it was much better than I anticipated. I realized two things about going to the fair. First, you have to go with a big group whose excited to be there and there is at least one person who is a fair professional (our friend, Peter!). Second, you simply have to embrace the fair with the right attitude; otherwise, you keep thinking "why am I here?".

Posted by richlee at September 5, 2005 09:29 AM