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puzzle_meI just got back from the State Fair a little while ago. Sadly, I was not able to get a shout out in to any of you during PHC. The grandstand is pretty huge, much bigger than the Fitzgerald, and it looked like he'd just grabbed a random bunch out of the basket. Oh well, better luck next time I suppose.
The show is still worth listening to. I find the musical guests on his show kind of hit or miss, and I thought they were all hits this time. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band was a lot of fun to see live. The other musicians on the show did a lot of sad songs about New Orleans and Mississippi, but The Dirty Dozen gave a totally upbeat performance despite the fact that they probably all have lost their homes in the hurricane. The Wailin' Jennys are a folk trio from Canada that is reminiscent of The Indigo Girls in some of their songs, and any number of Celtic singers in other songs. They played a lot of different instruments - acoustic guitar, violin, banjo, and accordian. They were also all really hot. Prudence Johnson is a regular on the show, but I've always loved her voice.
I'm always entertained by the State Fair broadcast, but I've also always wondered whether people outside of Minnesota are as amused by it. I've only lived in Minnesota for 6 years, and I've already developed a deep sentimental attachment to the fair. I can't imagine what sort of attachment many of the people who have grown up here have to it. It's this huge snapshot of Minnesota - a coming together of the urban and rural. The fairgrounds are in urban St. Paul (two blocks from where I currently live, actually), so a lot of people from the cities go. It also attracts a huge presence from the more rural areas of Minnesota. It's fun to see city kids wandering through a cow barn and rural kids having their hair painted in all sorts of funky ways. There are what feels like an endless number of specialty buildings - horticulture, education, art, pets, home improvement, and modern living to name just a few of them. There are politicians and people from every political stripe imaginable. There are carnival rides, and shiny new tractors, and shiny antique tractors, and so much fried food on a stick that your cholesterol probably jumps just by breathing there. Keillor's fair broadcast is essentially a big tribute to the fair. I wonder if people from other states think he's making fun of the memory of what was once a quaint tradition. He's not. It's still a thriving tradition.
The show is still worth listening to. I find the musical guests on his show kind of hit or miss, and I thought they were all hits this time. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band was a lot of fun to see live. The other musicians on the show did a lot of sad songs about New Orleans and Mississippi, but The Dirty Dozen gave a totally upbeat performance despite the fact that they probably all have lost their homes in the hurricane. The Wailin' Jennys are a folk trio from Canada that is reminiscent of The Indigo Girls in some of their songs, and any number of Celtic singers in other songs. They played a lot of different instruments - acoustic guitar, violin, banjo, and accordian. They were also all really hot. Prudence Johnson is a regular on the show, but I've always loved her voice.
I'm always entertained by the State Fair broadcast, but I've also always wondered whether people outside of Minnesota are as amused by it. I've only lived in Minnesota for 6 years, and I've already developed a deep sentimental attachment to the fair. I can't imagine what sort of attachment many of the people who have grown up here have to it. It's this huge snapshot of Minnesota - a coming together of the urban and rural. The fairgrounds are in urban St. Paul (two blocks from where I currently live, actually), so a lot of people from the cities go. It also attracts a huge presence from the more rural areas of Minnesota. It's fun to see city kids wandering through a cow barn and rural kids having their hair painted in all sorts of funky ways. There are what feels like an endless number of specialty buildings - horticulture, education, art, pets, home improvement, and modern living to name just a few of them. There are politicians and people from every political stripe imaginable. There are carnival rides, and shiny new tractors, and shiny antique tractors, and so much fried food on a stick that your cholesterol probably jumps just by breathing there. Keillor's fair broadcast is essentially a big tribute to the fair. I wonder if people from other states think he's making fun of the memory of what was once a quaint tradition. He's not. It's still a thriving tradition.
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Date: 2005-09-03 06:35 am (UTC)I worked at the fair several years in the Empire Commons building, and even lived there one year while in 4-H. *sigh* I especially miss the WCCO booth, Garrison Keillor, and the wonderful sausage stands.
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Date: 2005-09-03 06:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-04 08:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-05 03:06 am (UTC)