Kim and I missed out on the MInnesota State Fair last summer due to our wedding being held this weekend. We were so busy running around w/friends and family and preparing for the wedding that we just didn’t have a chance to eat fried shit on a stick.

We were looking for a day to go this year and I had mentioned that because we had attended the Minnesota State Fair on the same day in 2003 and 2004, we should do it again this year. Kim disagreed and we decided on today (Sunday). Kim’s original idea was to do it tomorrow (Labor Day/our anniversary). I *refused* to attend the Fair on our anniversary so Sunday it was.

Early in the weekend the forecast was poor. Rain, rain, and more rain. Because we were doing the fair on Sunday I made plans with Kevin, Chuck, and Chris to go caching on Saturday. We figured we’d get at least a couple in before the rain started (which as of Saturday morning was still going to be all day long). By the time I got home at 3PM, it still hadn’t started raining and Kim was whining. I promised we’d go on Sunday rain or not. She was pleased w/that.

I was up and ready to go at 5AM — Kim told me that I woke her up at 7:30AM but she was going to read until she fell back asleep. Finally at 9:30AM I started whining that it was time to get going. She didn’t agree but we finally got moving around 11AM.

We headed to the ATM, pulled out entirely too much money for this thing, and then went over to the Mall of America to take the shuttle (which leaves every 15 minutes from the MoA and the Fair). $5/ea for the roundtrip. We were lucky enough to sit next to a *retarded* family that used their Treo like a walkie talkie, listened to their voicemails on speakerphone (while sitting under Metro Transit’s sign asking you not to use your phone on the bus), and who couldn’t understand how the new “indoor waterpark” hotel next to the Mall of America “worked”. Somehow we are magnets for these people :(

We arrived at the fair after the miserable ride and ran as far from these people as possible. After paying the crazy admission fee (we’re already down $28 after the bus and the tickets) we made our way into the craziness…

Kim usually has a “plan of attack” when we are at the fair and I was very surprised that she didn’t this time. I was impressed that she had a fairly good route planned out in her head and she was already planning ahead for the prospect of rain.

We would start out walking the streets and picking up her favorite foods here and there. After making the rounds we would take a seat and watch the Stihl Lumberjack show for a while and then head back out for more food until the rain starts. After the rain we would head into the buildings to look at animals and watch the horse shoes in the Coliseum.

While waiting in line for the “bucket of cookies” at Sweet Martha’s, the rain came down *hard*. I had already put my rain gear on but my pants were still getting soaked. After waiting for Kim to construct a “skirt” out of an extra garbage bag and a cover for our backpack, we headed to the all you can drink milk stand to enjoy our cookies properly.

After filling myself with sickening amounts of cookies and milk I needed to sit and rest my legs (swimming, caching yesterday, and now the fair and my legs are *DEAD*). We went in and watched the horse stuff in the Coliseum and eventually went on to the other animals.

After much time spent doing that (and Kimmy getting her yearly photo w/the cows) we had a couple more items to eat and then Kimmy took pitty on the condition of my legs and hip and said we could go home.

Another summer down and another State Fair attended. What did you guys do at the Fair?

See all the pictures from today here (mobile) and here (camera).

Related posts:

1. Healthy Eating at the 2007 Minnesota State Fair: St Paul, MN
2. Favorite Thing About The Minnesota State Fair Poll
3. Best Values at the 2008 Minnesota State Fair
4. Taste of Minnesota: St. Paul, MN
5. Minnesota Rollergirls at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium: St. Paul, MN