Thursday, August 30, 2012

Big Day Out! #1: MinneSarah At The State Fair

All the people, so many people...

 
Hey everybody!  Welcome to the very first edition of Big Day Out!  For its inaugural post our friend MinneSarah gathered up her mom and went to check out the Great Minnesota Get Together.  Have a look:
 
Folks, you've got one weekend left to go to the State Fair this year...take advantage of it!  Now I'm not one to enjoy large groups of people, animals raised for food that may carry pandemic viruses, and more sweat, dirt, trash, and sun than you can shake a pickle on a stick at.

But...there is seriously something for everyone at the state fair...from the MN Knitter's Guild to giant pumpkins to taxidermied hyena.  Seriously awesome and unique experiences that you've been waiting all year to have.  I had a limited agenda and limited amount of time but still managed to pack it full of some of the best the state has to offer.
 
 
I went on Senior Day and met up with my mom, which was a whole lotta fun.  The day was perfect, which meant it was about to get real packed. It started as a nice, quiet day at the fair and turned busy and hot, but what are you going to do?  If you wanted a bench you were out of luck...  Lots of scooters, but not a lot of lines.  Senior day is always the best day at the fair.  Any day you can make it will probably be just as good, although you may find yourself surrounded by more children and drunk people (you may even be one of them)!

I'm going to detail the attractions that I would recommend you go to while they are still in season:
 
Agriculture building - From political seed art to a room full of irises, the MN Homebrewer's Association to the state's best veggie collection, the Agriculture Building is a must see that has withstood the test of time.
 
 
Illuminarium - New to the fair, this life sized sculpture was designed by a British guy and made in Nottingham, England.  It is as close as I can imagine to being inside a human heart.  You must remove your shoes (bring some socks!) and can walk through different chambers, sort of like a maze.  It is held up by air that is pumped in to keep it inflated, and features soothing lights and sounds - very futuristic and yet relaxing.
 
 

Giant Sing-A-Long - Minnesota Karaoke on a stick, well, there are several mics on stands and you can come and go and sing along to Minnesota's favorite songs (voted by Minnesotans before the fair) in a group.  Mom and I sang "She Works Hard For The Money" by Donna Summer.
 
 
Doggies Of The Wild West - Located just outside of Heritage Square, this half hour long show features some adorable rescue pups performing amazing feats on a stage...wait for it...coach.  They wear little bandannas and will wow you with their awesome and adorable little doggie tricks.  As my mom said, "It's not the Ordway, but it's the best free show you'll see all day."
 
 
Watch out for Puddles the chihuahua.
 
 
Sky ride - For only $3.50 you can be transported over the fair in style (well, a yellow, green, or cow spotted bucket cart).  Get the best views of the giant yellow slide, the grandstand, and the Disney kid stage.
 
 
Food building -  Let's be real (can I be real for a moment?)  The number one reason people come to the fair is to stuff their faces with more fried food than anyone should eat in an entire year.  Located next to the beer garden and full of all sorts of fried goodness on sticks, the food building has something for everyone.  Vegan picks include Falafel King's veggie sandwich or falafel on a stick, frozen lemonade, the kombucha bar at the Greek booth, and frozen grapes on a stick.
 
 
That's about all I had time to explore.  I'd recommend going early to beat the crowds, staying hydrated, and using the park and ride system.  Have fun!
 
There it is folks.  Giant British hearts, falafel, Puddles the Chihuahua... Shit... You find me another state's fair that goes this hard.
 
Big thanks to MinneSarah for checking out the festivities while the rest of us continue to fight the good fight against jealousy & agoraphobia.  We call it jeagoraphobiasy.  As of yet, the DSM-IV has not acknowledged the affliction.
 
For more of the always lovely MinneSarah she can be found on Twitter (@MinneSarah), on Instagram as MinneSarah, and just about anywhere show pups are performing in the greater Twin Cities area.
 
Of course this blog maintains a Twitter of its own (@NewestIndustry1) and can be found on the Facebook here.  For every 'like' we get we'll devote 10 minutes to training our animals to perform a stage show.  Likely not a Wild West show, since that's been done.  Maybe an Far East show.  Do they make kimonos for dogs?  Give us a 'like' and we'll all find out.
 

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