2013 Minnesota State Fair.

We moved to Minnesota in 1963 and some friends took us to the Minnesota State Fair that summer.  Since then, we have attended nearly every year since.  Now that we live in Fergus Falls, MN, we like to use the service offered by a local bus company that schedules a trip each year on "Seniors Day".

This year we invited our friend Trish to accompany us and we saw the fair through her eyes and did things that we normally would not do. 

 There was some good news and bad news this year at the fair. The bad news was the temperature of 97º F [37º C], one of the hottest fair dates on record.  The good news was that attendance was off by about 40,000 people so there were almost no lines anywhere.

Our trip experience starts at 7:00 AM in the bus company office where doughnuts and coffee are available.  Trish got up early and is speaking with Sue.

Our adventure starts and we get on the bus for a very comfortable trip to St Paul.

Lots of others have arrived by bus.

The State Fair is almost always the same but does change a bit each year.  Each Monday that we arrive we watch the stock dogs work the sheep through the drill.

The 34th Infantry Division "Red Bull" band had a free concert at the band shell. 

The Space Tower was next on the agenda.

Trish and Sue in the gondola going up.

Looking west toward Minneapolis with the Coliseum and stock barns in the foreground.

Looking north and the rest of the fairgrounds.  This was the second time in fifty years that Sue and I have ridden the Space Tower.

The Agriculture-Horticulture building is one of the oldest on the fairgrounds.

Each year we purchase our first Minnesota grown apple.

Who would have predicted this offering in the Ag/Hort building during prohibition?  This is a display of the many craft breweries that are becoming popular.

This Skyride was never used by us until this year.

Having fun on the ride.

Happy landing on the other end.  I walked the length of the ride and made it easily to meet them getting off.

This Sing-along site was new this year.  Each post had a live microphone and followed the words on the screen.

We had to watch the parade that occurs every afternoon.  In the background is an ice skating rink with a polymer to replace natural ice.  Apparently it is workable for skaters.  

This banner is for Sibley High School in West St Paul.  The bands were sweating and helpers would offer ice and water to the participants.

Trish had spoken of her fear of heights.  But she had gone on the Sky Ride and now was attempting this adventure.

First came the safety gear.

Then up the rope ladder.  Each participant was attached by a safety line that can be seen on Trish.

Then came the leap of faith onto a pole.

Success!

The Giant Slide is one trip down on a rug.  We have never done it in all the years at the fair.

Happy landing!

Finally a pit-stop on the way home.

CSA Week 6

The headline from the Bluebird CSA is that the owner, a retired Fergus Falls teacher, is selling the enterprise.  He has grown vegetables for most of 35 years and sold them in "honor" unmanned tents for most of that time until the bad actions of a few who stole changed the plans.  Then upon his retirement from the school, he began the CSA.  So if anyone wants to purchase the enterprise the owner will stay on to train the new owner.

This time our box had broccoli, a cucumber, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes and for the first time, sweet corn.  This had a calculated market value of $24.25 which comes to 37% of our total investment. 
The way to make this investment pay off is to use the following method as stated by the owner:

Beans~  We have the same gorgeous beans from the box this week.  We are getting 30 five gallon buckets from each round.  So tonight, from 6 to 8, we will celebrate the green bean harvester and pick your harvest event beans for you.  You get two five gallon pails for a ticket.  If you can't come tonight, you can still pick beans from the harvest event field in the coming days.  As you come to our farm from Fergus, look for the pink flag.  You can drive down that approach and park on the farm road.  You will notice the bee hives further down that road.  If you stay calm, the wonderful bees are never a problem.

Sweet corn~  A little further down the highway, you will see the yellow flag.  You can drive down that approach.  We will have two trailers picked for you by the sweet corn harvester.  When those trailers are empty, you can pick your own.  The boundaries of the patch are marked by the blue flags.  There will be corn for you through the weekend.  You get ten dozen for a ticket. 

Carrots~  The carrots are popular.  They are on the harvest event field.  You enter the harvest event field from the middle of our driveway by the blue flag.  The carrots are marked by the orange flag.  The carrots have been picked right by the flag.  But the row goes both directions from the flag.  Our rows usually go north and south so in this case, it is parallel with the driveway.  You will want to bring a digging tool for carrots.  If you want a five gallon bucket, it is one ticket.  If you just get an ice cream pail, you don't need a ticket.

We do not have the capacity to use five gallon buckets of any vegetable but the above is included in the price.  A large box once per week receives five tickets and our selection of a small box every two weeks gets one. 

CSA Week 5

This is our vegetable allotment.

We added potatoes and carrots to the mix this week.  In total we had onions, green beans, broccoli, tomato, zucchini and cucumbers including those already mentioned.  

The total weight was 3.4 Kg or 7.6 pounds.  The cost to purchase from an online organic source is $13.04.  So far, we have recovered 26% of our investment.

Elbow Lake, MN, and Flekkefest

We visited one of the many local celebrations in our area here in West-Central Minnesota.  This one, the Flekkefest was held in Elbow Lake, a community of about 2000.  It is located about 20 south of Fergus Falls. 

This town has a sister city relationship with Flekkefjord, Norway, which is located on a fjord on the southwest coast of Norway.  The mayor ot Flekkefjord attended the celebration in Elbow Lake.

Elbow Lake is the Grant County seat.  The courthouse dominates the main street.

There is a large Norwegian descendents of immigrants that came her following the Civil War and when the railroad companies advertised the lands available in the area.

A seaplane dock at the local airport.

Helicopter rides were available.

A corn maze is a popular attraction.

Kids had an area dedicated to them.

Old tractors are always sentimental favorites in an era of huge tractors scaled to cultivate thousand acre fields.

Oh yes, I forgot my faithful hat and had to purchase a temporary replacement at a thrift store.

Then there is a parade with an honor guard leading the way.

Candy is tossed from nearly every entry in the parade and some of the kids made quite a haul.

A float honoring Norway.

The Carlisle Band was the only live music in the parade using the easy way to participate.  Unfortunately the family players could not participate due to work schedules,