No Fair? No Fair!

"Missing our state fair due that dang China virus, is one more reason we need to give China a collective kick in the groin when this is all over. No fair? NO FAIR!"

As we were driving home from Trump country yesterday, I remarked to my wife how strange this week is. I mean, it is Labor Day week. The end of the summer week. And to temper the sadness of starting to see our summer drift into early fall, we ALWAYS have the Minnesota State Fair to look forward to. Always. But not this year. Not having the fair, is a void in our lives.

The fair is an interesting thing for so many reasons. One is how people react to it. I have known some people who go every. Single. Day. Yes, that is truth. Some go at least one time every. Single. Year. That is also the truth. And for some reason, some never go. Ever. Where do I fit in? Closer to the second. We go between one and four times a year, depending on how many days I have booth duty.

When we first started to go decades ago, my wife would always start off with some Tom Thumb donuts. They were fine, but I needed something more - something with meat. So I went over to the Foot Long Hot-dog stand, and ordered a dog. With a whole mess of raw onions on it. I was one of a very few people who visited that stand that early in the morning. My wife thought I was a bit nuts.

In recent years however, there is a line at that same hot dog stand. Early in the morning. People are catching on, that this is a great way to start your state fair eating fest. We always bought the coupon book, so we had new things to try, and familiar things to savor. We bought our year's supply of foamy soap in the grandstand. We went to the livestock barns to see the critters. On Military Appreciation Day, we visited all the tents and booths. There was always SOMETHING to do at the fair. When we got tired, we just found a bench and "people watched". Often entertaining, always free.

We raised our kids to love the fair. Now our oldest, is raising her kids to also love the fair. Just about every year, the Minnesota State Fair is in the running for the best in the nation. Is it perfect? No, but pretty darn close. Do I miss it this year? Let me count the ways. Missing our state fair due that dang China virus, is one more reason we need to give China a collective kick in the groin when this is all over. No fair? NO FAIR!