Greetings adventurers and welcome to the Main Entrance Cast Thought of the Day, a companion to the tri-weekly Main Entrance Podcast. I’m your host, Teknikipedia, and here’s your Thought of the Day for Thursday, August 22nd, 2019.
Today marks the beginning of the Minnesota State Fair, also known as the Great Minnesota Get-Together. For the next 12 days, citizens and visitors will descend on the Twin Cities to experience the live entertainment, livestock and craft displays, unique shopping opportunities, and, of course, all the food. French fries, cheese curds, corn dogs, milkshakes, pizza, deep-fried Twinkies, so many foods on a stick, and let’s not forget about the beers and wines, the fair is a culinary adventure with no equal.
State and county fairs are a quintessential piece of the American experience. The first state fair was held in New York way back in 1841. The Texas State Fair is currently the most highly visited, with Minnesota not far behind. Nearly every State now has at least one annual fair. Fairs represent a chance to enjoy the creativity, ingenuity and bounty of a state. A chance to come together as a community to have a little fun and show off skills with the dream of taking home that grand prize, a blue ribbon. It’s also a chance to test your bravery on the midways and attractions featured at many fairs.
You never know what you might see at a fair. Perhaps you’ll see the famous butter cow of the Iowa State Fair, an entire cow carved out of butter. If you like your butter in a more anthropomorphic way, you could check out the sculpted busts of Princess Kay of the Milky Way in Minnesota. The Kentucky State Fair lives up to its state’s equestrian reputation with the World’s Championship Horse Show. Feel a need for speed? Head to Montana for the Veggie 500, described as pinewood derby cars covered in vegetables. If you prefer your veggies a little more sedate, why not visit Ohio, who’s State Fair features a food sculpting contest. And, if you can channel your inner bovine and produce the best “moo”, put your skills to the test at the Wisconsin State Fair.
In a time of political and social turmoil, it’s events like State Fairs that leverage the love of home to bring people back together. What better place to connect with friends and neighbors than walking the midway, chocolate-covered Bacon on a stick in hand, quenching your thirst with a mini donut beer, smiling, laughing, and building up enough courage to take on the double ferris-wheel!?
Do you enjoy visiting your local State Fair? What makes your State’s fair unique. Let us know at connect@mainentrancecast.com.
