Can I admit to something? Starting, oh, Tuesday evening, I have really, really been jazzed about going to The Minnesota State Fair. Don't know why other than my belief, which I stumbled upon after I starting going back to the Fair in my twenties, that this, uh, "festival" is tantamount to a pilgrimage. I know families build their reunions around the Fair. I know of one acquaintance whose family adores the Fair so much that they paid money to brand a bench in the name of a late family member. We cracked two million people for the first time in the Fair's century-plus-long history last year, and I have to tell you, if I enter from the Robin Lot (where all the buses drop off fair-goers), I can gaze through the arch and down the down-sloping Luggett St. and see all the people walking up and down the Fair's main drag and believe, semi-honestly, that the entire state is at the Fair right at that moment. And that sentiment swells so much pride in my heart.
I would love to go first thing, at 6 a.m. But the plan is to go after work, eat the staples which grease the bottom line of the Fair (Pronto Pups, cheese curds, corn and maybe Sweet Martha's Cookies), enjoy a summer day that will be sunny but not humid at all and with just a touch of wind, and be back home after a few hours. I plan on going there at least three, maybe four more times. I can't get enough.
The only thing I fear is that, with the anticipation many Minnesotans feel about today, the ... uh, "evil forces" that lurk among us is going to take advantage of the openness of the Fair, and Minnesota Nice, and stage a terrorist attack. I don't want to be jaded, but for the past few years now I have noticed that there are no metal detectors at the gates. I don't want there to ever be metal detectors at the gates. Do not throw any "soft" labels in my face -- there is no reason that The Minnesota State Fair can't remain both safe and easygoing, and therefore it should continue to be, just like they have for the past century-plus. Added security isn't a necessary sign of the times; it's a capitulation to those crazy people who simply want to watch the world burn.
At any rate, I hope to enjoy the Fair, and if any of you are going, I hope you enjoy the Fair, too.
I would love to go first thing, at 6 a.m. But the plan is to go after work, eat the staples which grease the bottom line of the Fair (Pronto Pups, cheese curds, corn and maybe Sweet Martha's Cookies), enjoy a summer day that will be sunny but not humid at all and with just a touch of wind, and be back home after a few hours. I plan on going there at least three, maybe four more times. I can't get enough.
The only thing I fear is that, with the anticipation many Minnesotans feel about today, the ... uh, "evil forces" that lurk among us is going to take advantage of the openness of the Fair, and Minnesota Nice, and stage a terrorist attack. I don't want to be jaded, but for the past few years now I have noticed that there are no metal detectors at the gates. I don't want there to ever be metal detectors at the gates. Do not throw any "soft" labels in my face -- there is no reason that The Minnesota State Fair can't remain both safe and easygoing, and therefore it should continue to be, just like they have for the past century-plus. Added security isn't a necessary sign of the times; it's a capitulation to those crazy people who simply want to watch the world burn.
At any rate, I hope to enjoy the Fair, and if any of you are going, I hope you enjoy the Fair, too.
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