State Fair
Sep. 7th, 2007 03:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
puzzle_meI'm sure you've all been waiting with bated breath for some pictures of my previous weekend hijinks. No? Well, you get them anyways.
First off, the Minnesota State Fair! As I've posted in the past, the State Fair is a really big deal here. I go every year, and the past two years have gone with my sister, nieces, and parents.
We got some lunch - chicken on a stick for me, pork chop on a stick for my sister, corndogs and french fries for my nieces, and a fried blooming onion for everyone. I think my parents might have gotten pork chops on a stick as well, but I didn't really pay attention. Then, to satiate the girls' desires, we sought out rides! First my sister took the girls on the giant slide:
Next, Kiera went on a spinny ride, while Molly went in a 'fun house'. I couldn't really take any pictures of her in the fun house, but it evidently involved a hall of mirrors, which was a highlight. I took some pictures of Kiera on the spinny ride, but there are better pictures of her on other rides.
Like, the bumper boats! Both girls went on these:
Next, Molly went on a firefighter ride. Yay for ignoring gender stereotypes!
They shot water guns at a house facade while the little mini firetruck ladders moved up and down. Here's a more zoomed out picture of it:
Kiera was riding on the mini ferris wheel while Molly did the fire truck ride. After the mini ferris wheel, Kiera rode a ride called the 'Jumpin' Star' while Molly went off to ride some ghost pirate ride or something (I didn't actually see it). Here's a zoomed out picture of the Jumpin Star:
Kiera loved this ride. She'd let out a shriek and grin everytime the ride 'jumped'. It was hard to get a close up of her because of how unpredictably the ride moved, but here are a couple of my attempts:
After rides, we ambled towards machinery hill because I like to look at the antique tractors and other antique farm equipment. As we were on our way there, we ended up in just the right place at the right time to see the parade. In all my years of going to this fair, I've never actually seen the parade. It's pretty random.
We saw a bunch of high school marching bands, a Smoky the Bear float, about 3 giant cow floats, and a circus performer go by before I pulled out my camera. The thing that inspired me to finally pull out my camera? Eight mini horses pulling a carriage. Hee!
And then.. Canadians were invading our fair! Oh noes!!!
And then some bug extermination company thought that making some poor sap sweat it out in a mosquito costume would make for good advertising:
And finally (well not finally, but the last thing I took an interesting picture of): some uber fuel efficient vehicles that I wouldn't actually want to drive in traffic:
Once on machinery hill, I saw a lot of pretty antique tractors, but the most photogenic of them was the same one I'd seen and photographed a few years previously. Here are those pictures:
While on machinery hill, my nieces went into this children's barn that had them go through an activity to learn about farming. That took a while, so I went and got a strawberry smoothie and hung out with my dad, wandering around to the northern edge of the fairgrounds.
Next we wandered through the horticulture building, where we got some apple cider freezes. Then my mom, sister and I went to a booth that's there every year, selling these really pretty batik print dresses. Finally we headed to the food building to grab some dinner. We got fried smelts and chunks of grilled lamb (raised locally!). I held off on getting dessert, but since my sister and the girls were leaving after dinner, my sister got them all chocolate dipped belgian waffles on a stick. Kiera didn't actually like hers, so my parents and I shared it and Kiera got some ice cream instead.
After Naomi and the girls had departed, we wandered back to the horticulture building to look at the corn art and the flowers. The flower show going on the day we were there was all orchids all the time. They were really pretty, but the light in the room they were in was bad for pictures without flash, and flash really washed them out. So you'll just have to believe me that there were some incredible orchids. But here are some pictures of the seed art:
Seed art's representation of popular culture knows no bounds..
Really, it doesn't..
I've never seen clothing in the corn art display before, this was an impressive piece:
I particularly liked the pumpkin seed bushes in this piece:
He's in the seed art at the state fair! His mother must be so proud..
And I liked this one, because there's a certain simplicity in doing a loon..
After the seed art, we went and got a sandwich for me, and chocolate sodas for my parents. I was pretty full by that point, so I decided to forgo eating a deep fried candy bar for dessert. :) Then we made our way to the grandstand for Garrison Keillor's performance. It was, as always, fun. I particularly liked his interviews with the 4H kids and the fiddlers that they had on. And the fireworks at the end.
First off, the Minnesota State Fair! As I've posted in the past, the State Fair is a really big deal here. I go every year, and the past two years have gone with my sister, nieces, and parents.
We got some lunch - chicken on a stick for me, pork chop on a stick for my sister, corndogs and french fries for my nieces, and a fried blooming onion for everyone. I think my parents might have gotten pork chops on a stick as well, but I didn't really pay attention. Then, to satiate the girls' desires, we sought out rides! First my sister took the girls on the giant slide:
Next, Kiera went on a spinny ride, while Molly went in a 'fun house'. I couldn't really take any pictures of her in the fun house, but it evidently involved a hall of mirrors, which was a highlight. I took some pictures of Kiera on the spinny ride, but there are better pictures of her on other rides.
Like, the bumper boats! Both girls went on these:
Next, Molly went on a firefighter ride. Yay for ignoring gender stereotypes!
They shot water guns at a house facade while the little mini firetruck ladders moved up and down. Here's a more zoomed out picture of it:
Kiera was riding on the mini ferris wheel while Molly did the fire truck ride. After the mini ferris wheel, Kiera rode a ride called the 'Jumpin' Star' while Molly went off to ride some ghost pirate ride or something (I didn't actually see it). Here's a zoomed out picture of the Jumpin Star:
Kiera loved this ride. She'd let out a shriek and grin everytime the ride 'jumped'. It was hard to get a close up of her because of how unpredictably the ride moved, but here are a couple of my attempts:
After rides, we ambled towards machinery hill because I like to look at the antique tractors and other antique farm equipment. As we were on our way there, we ended up in just the right place at the right time to see the parade. In all my years of going to this fair, I've never actually seen the parade. It's pretty random.
We saw a bunch of high school marching bands, a Smoky the Bear float, about 3 giant cow floats, and a circus performer go by before I pulled out my camera. The thing that inspired me to finally pull out my camera? Eight mini horses pulling a carriage. Hee!
And then.. Canadians were invading our fair! Oh noes!!!
And then some bug extermination company thought that making some poor sap sweat it out in a mosquito costume would make for good advertising:
And finally (well not finally, but the last thing I took an interesting picture of): some uber fuel efficient vehicles that I wouldn't actually want to drive in traffic:
Once on machinery hill, I saw a lot of pretty antique tractors, but the most photogenic of them was the same one I'd seen and photographed a few years previously. Here are those pictures:
While on machinery hill, my nieces went into this children's barn that had them go through an activity to learn about farming. That took a while, so I went and got a strawberry smoothie and hung out with my dad, wandering around to the northern edge of the fairgrounds.
Next we wandered through the horticulture building, where we got some apple cider freezes. Then my mom, sister and I went to a booth that's there every year, selling these really pretty batik print dresses. Finally we headed to the food building to grab some dinner. We got fried smelts and chunks of grilled lamb (raised locally!). I held off on getting dessert, but since my sister and the girls were leaving after dinner, my sister got them all chocolate dipped belgian waffles on a stick. Kiera didn't actually like hers, so my parents and I shared it and Kiera got some ice cream instead.
After Naomi and the girls had departed, we wandered back to the horticulture building to look at the corn art and the flowers. The flower show going on the day we were there was all orchids all the time. They were really pretty, but the light in the room they were in was bad for pictures without flash, and flash really washed them out. So you'll just have to believe me that there were some incredible orchids. But here are some pictures of the seed art:
Seed art's representation of popular culture knows no bounds..
Really, it doesn't..
I've never seen clothing in the corn art display before, this was an impressive piece:
I particularly liked the pumpkin seed bushes in this piece:
He's in the seed art at the state fair! His mother must be so proud..
And I liked this one, because there's a certain simplicity in doing a loon..
After the seed art, we went and got a sandwich for me, and chocolate sodas for my parents. I was pretty full by that point, so I decided to forgo eating a deep fried candy bar for dessert. :) Then we made our way to the grandstand for Garrison Keillor's performance. It was, as always, fun. I particularly liked his interviews with the 4H kids and the fiddlers that they had on. And the fireworks at the end.
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-07 10:32 pm (UTC)Wow, apple cider freezes sound so good!
I'd never seen Canadian mounties until I was in Ottawa last year, and I was so stunned that I got my picture taken with one. I didn't realize that they actually wore those uniforms.
What cool kiddie rides!
no subject
Date: 2007-09-07 11:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-08 04:03 am (UTC)It's been a few years since I went to the thing; I really did want to go this year, but there was Boston and starting school and whatnot. I have always looked at the seed art and I too am wowed by the presence of clothing. I have to admit that the Spam piece, while quite well-done, is not nearly as surprising or novel.