travels with toby

For as long as we’ve lived in Minnesota we have always gone to the fair on opening day. And so we did again this year but this year was different because it is the last in this series as we are moving away from Minnesota. If you hadn’t heard, we are moving back to Los Angeles. Click the hyperlink to read more about it. We are moving back to our beginnings, where we met and got married. We talk about coming back to Minnesota during summers but we will have to see how it goes. I also have my sights on Mexico City since it’s practically next door to L.A. I’ve always wanted to visit Mexico City. Maybe next year?

But back to the topic at hand. The state fair. Wow! It’s definitely gotten more popular and it seems every opening day breaks another attendance record. Oh we could feel it for sure. We went another day with our daughter the following week. Lots more people that day!! It was fun and the weather was great both days and actually, we left just before it rained on opening day so that was perfect timing!! But maybe not for the parade at the fair.

Naturally I took photos and I will warn you, this will be a photo heavy diary.

First are the ice man photos. When you get there just after it opens you get to see these wagons of ice being pulled through the streets of the fair. I had never seen this before in all the years I’ve been going to the fair. Or maybe I just didn’t notice?

Of course we visited the DFL (Democratic Farm Labor) booth, full of photos and interesting t-shirts. And they were handing out Harris-Walz buttons. I got one of course.

And oh, the crop art! They decided to do it differently this year in that the artwork was everywhere in that room instead of all at the back. It was still full of people both times I went. It’s very popular! This gallery combines my photos from both trips to the fair.

Here’s a gallery of other things in and around the Ag building.

We saw lots of animals: ducks, roosters, sheep, horses, cows, pigs and piglets!

We saw art. The art building is always full of interesting and creative items. Mostly paintings but there are other pieces too.

Of course there was music. We always see Darlene and the Boys on opening day. Always fun to see people dancing. We also saw a group of young violinists and then this fabulous gal from the Congo, DiaToti. She had a small band and many dancers and we really enjoyed that show! Here is what the fair wrote about her:

A gifted vocalist, songwriter and dancer, DiaToti channels the rich African storytelling tradition, invoking genuine emotions with every tune. She masterfully blends African music, accentuating it with the distinctive rhythms of Congolese sounds, ensuring every listener feels the vibrant pulse of Africa.

One funny thing, or maybe it is sad, I’ll let you decide. We saw people with shirts that said “mascot security” and I thought it was a joke. Oh no, no joke. They were real security people for the “mascots” those two gophers you see with striped jackets. People were coming up and having their photos taken with these mascots. I guess you need security for that?

Other, general photos at the fair follow in the next gallery.

We had such a lovely evening with our daughter. It was the perfect end to this chapter of Minnesota State Fair visits. I have so many happy memories from the last 33 years. If you’re ever planning a visit to Minnesota, do it during the fair and definitely go to the fair. You won’t regret it. It’s always the 12 days that end on Labor Day. Hasta la próxima Minnesota state fair 🤗