Saturday, September 4, 2010

Minnesota State Fair: At the Barns

















Sorry if I have been missing in action this past week--I've been savoring the final days of summer. For me, that means enjoying several trips to the Minnesota State Fair, aka the Great Minnesota-Get-Together. 

Today hubby and I made our last trip...which was our fourth trip. (The Fair runs 12 days--always ending on Labor Day). It was our shortest trip--only 5.5 hours long. Usually we stay 8-10 hours. We do lots of walking, people watching, sitting (resting!), listening to free concerts (Rosanne Cash was this year's highlight!), and of course, enjoying once-a-year Fair Foods. Our favorite foods? Buffalo chips (potatoes), Corn dogs (we have a favorite booth), pork chops on a stick, Chocolate/blackberry malts from the Dairy building (where you can see the Dairy princesses' heads carved in a life-size chunk of butter!), and a few other miscellaneous treats. There are plenty of exhibits to check out each year--the Fine Arts competition, crop art, Creative Activities, Flower shows...It's an endless array of entertainment.

Which means it is a great opportunity to take photos! I've meant to share photos as the Fair proceeded, but time got away from me. I thought I would share a few over the next few days, loosely grouped by various themes.

Today's Theme: At the Barn!

No trip to the Fair is complete without a trip to the barns. I grew up in rural Minnesota and still enjoy seeing the farm animals--especially cows. And who doesn't love horses?! The day we headed down to the barn area, a high school rodeo show was about to begin. I couldn't resist taking a few shots of these cowgirls with their horses.  



































































































2 comments:

azviatx said...

Hey Risa! I don't know if you remember me, I won your wonderful giveaway on the One Heart One World event this past Feb. I wanted to say, again, thank you for the wonderful Heart painting and greeting cards. Your "heart" hangs in my bedroom, brightening my day when I look at it. I just wanted to comment on the Fair. I lived in MN for 15 winters and was often found wondering the fairgrounds. I always had fun. No matter how old I got! I see you didn't mention fried cheese curds or funnel cake! Didn't want everyone to know, huh?!?!!! I won't tell! They were some of my faves also. Thanks again, Tina

risa said...

Tina, so nice to hear from you! Former Minnesotans always remember the fair! Actually, I've never been a fan of the cheese curds or a lot of the fried foods...definitely better for my gut! We do eat our share though...but I think we burn it off walking for a good portion of our trips!