Thoughts of LoWriter

The Great Minnesota Get Together

That’s right; I did it. I braved the maddening crowds and the vats of oil to be a part of the State Fair again this year. I did it for the history, for the entertainment, for the family bonding experience, and, let’s face it, for the cheese curds and free crap.

And the free crap was plentiful. The highlights are the temporary tattoos. There seem to be a plethora of them, but the two I indulged in were the St. Cloud State Husky temporary tattoos in the education building and the atomic tattoos in the Wonders of Technology exhibit because, believe it or not, they were offering to airbrush a similar tattoo on any appendage for $12 at a street carnival I went to this summer.

In addition, if your mother ship was Bethel College (now University, but those of us who think this is a shameless marketing ploy refuse to convert), you can get a free Bethel University window cling. You have to admit to being an alumnus, though, which might cost you a certain amount of pride if you’re a self-respecting atheist. Having firmly decided that I can’t be an atheist, I fessed up and got a free window cling. (Yes! Finally, a reason to be glad I’m not an atheist! Free crap!) In addition, you can get the free Bethel University ruler, which is an upgrade from the free Bethel College ruler of previous fairs.

Just to be obnoxious, either just before or just after visiting the Bethel booth, you should check out St. Thomas. They’re giving away free purple St. Thomas hankies. I mean, they’re purple! And you can wear one while admitting to being Bethel alumni. Or wrap your free window cling around your forehead while asking for a St. Thomas hanky; you know, nothing like antagonizing the Christians.

Also, be sure not to miss the 3M display in the Wonders of Technology building, which would be rather hard to do, seeing as how they sponsor the building and take up about a third of it. They’re giving away the traditional free postie pack and also wall hangers with sticky backs. The post-its are not as creative as some years; they’re pretty much the standard issue yellow postie, but a free post-it is an awesome post-it, anyway.

The two free exhibits that I never miss are the Fine Arts Building’s art display and the Creative Arts Building’s quilt display. I wish I had the time to do artistic things again, and I wish I had the patience to acquire quilting skills. Since I know neither of these two things is going to happen in the next year, I go to the exhibits and look at what other people can do. You should, too. My favorite photo was of a leaf with water droplets on it. It was priced at $75, which was about the cheapest one there--surprising for me, as I usually seem to pick out the most expensive things wherever I go. Looking at it is free.

That’s about it for the worthwhile free stuff. If you think you’ll ever where a paper hat shaped like a pickle, you could always explore the Creative Arts building. As far as the other wonderful part of the fair (food), my two personal favorites are Dippin’ Dots and Cheese Curds. Of these, the cheese curds win every time. Be sure to get the right cheese curds. They are located on Dan Patch Avenue in a building of their own next to World’s Greatest Fries. Do not be fooled by mere ridiculous substitutes such as “Cheese on a Stick” and “Cheesy’s Cheese Curds.” :)

Now get out there and enjoy the free crap and greasy food, people; if you can't ring out the summer in style, at least ring it out with a crowd.

Posted by LoWriter at August 31, 2004 05:09 PM