Ole Pappy

A state fair experience

There’s something about the state fair that makes you want to be there. For some it’s the food. Others enjoy the exhibits, the animals or the music and entertainment. So with the same kind of exuberance as most everyone else, my wife and I decided to give it a try. I’ve been to many state fairs, but in recent years I’ve found them to be far too crowded. But, we decided to give it another try. Was it crowded? The Minnesota Vikings or Twins should draw such crowds. It was nearly impossible to get from one place to the next.

So, after a couple of hours we decided that was just about enough, so we left. Anyway, our feet were already speaking loudly to us so we decided to listen to them.

We sat on a bench for a short period of time and watched a lady grimace as she took off her tennis shoes, rubbed her feet, then put on a pair of sandals. It was nice to know we weren’t the only ones with barking feet.

I took a couple of things away from the fair: 1. People will stand in long lines and wait a long time to buy a pail of “Sweet Martha’s Cookies.” I don’t know who Martha is, but was probably home counting her money. Fact: She does make good chocolate chip cookies. 2. Cob on the corn never tastes as good as it does at the state fair.

For me, that’s the number one treat. 3. Folks mob the various radio and TV stations at the fair. They are all handing out free prizes. If you spin this wheel at one of the stations, you can win a free back-bag.

I also got root-beer tasting lip balm. 4. There are an abundance of appliances, machines and devices being “hawked” by business vendors.

We didn’t take much of a look at them because my wife always said, “I’ve already got one of those.” 5. The alligator on a stick tastes like a very hot sausage. Not good. 6. You can’t expect to park at the fair. They have these buses all over the place waiting to pick up fair-goers. It was a great way to go.

We got on near a Lutheran Church, took the ride, and got back again. It was slick. 6. There are personalities at the fair. I didn’t get to see him, but Brittany Moorse of our staff caught this photo of Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders coming from a TV interview at the fair. That’s the thing about the fair. You just never know who you’re going to see. Or if you’ll survive the crowds!

LAUGH A LITTLE: What time is it? After driving for about six hours, a trucker decides to pull over and sleep for a little while. As soon as he falls asleep, he is awoken by some knocks on the door of the cab. “Can you tell me the time, please?” asks a jogger. “Yeah, it’s 4:30,” answers the trucker. He falls asleep again, but he is awoken again by another jogger who wants to know the time. “It’s 4:40!” yells the trucker. Deciding to really try to sleep a little, he writes on a piece of paper:I DON’T KNOW THE TIME. He sticks the paper in his windshield. But he is awoken again. ‘It’s 5:25,” says another jogger.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: As my Ole Pappy used to say, “When you only pray when you’re in trouble ... YOU’RE IN TROUBLE.” Thanks Ole Pappy!

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