Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog

These photos sum up a lot about Minnesota. There is my Minnesota Twins baseball cap. There is a large fiberglass golden gopher (the state rodent). There is Summit Beer. There is Summit Beer on a stick. It is a gorgeous, sunny day at my perfect temperature of about 75°F/24°C. And all of this is happening at the Great Minnesota Get Together, otherwise known as the Minnesota State Fair.

If the temperature doesn’t go above 80°F, I love summer. If the relative humidity stays reasonable, I’m great. The Twin Cities are full of bike trails, golf courses, festivals, lakes, outdoor bar and restaurant seating, and everything else that takes advantage of our three week summer.

But the climax of the summer that everyone looks forward to is the State Fair.

Probably the first thing anyone with experience would tell you is that at the State Fair, you can find just about anything on a stick. Sure, it’s mostly food items, but some non-solids find their way to stickdom, too—just look at my flight of little Summits (that’s Oktoberfest Red Ale, Extra Pale Ale, and Red Ale for those of you keeping track). There is a wide variety of music, exhibits, a sizable midway, and other entertainment. There is a grandstand. There are animals and agriculture. One wing of a building is dedicated to seed art. The Aquatennial Queen (a midsummer festival revolving around the Mississippi River and the many area lakes) has her head carved in butter. Or is that Princess Kay of the Milky Way?

The downside to the State Fair is that it also signals the end of summer. It finishes its nearly two-week run on Labor Day (the first Monday in September here in the US). Summer work hours end, the kids go back to school, and you pack away your white clothing.

Fortunately, winter doesn’t hit until at least the end of the month.