The Great Minnesota Get Together!

Today is the last day of the Minnesota State Fair, my second favorite holiday right after Christmas. I love everything about the fair, love that I am a part of the fair and love the tradition and sameness of our routine from one year to the next. This year, in the 12 days recorded (today's attendance hasn't been added into this total), 1,663,573 people will have walked through the fair grounds, consuming an estimated half-a-million corn dogs. (I helped with that stat...) Below are pictures of my favorites at the fair:
Here's what you're seeing in these pictures, going left to right, top to bottom...
1. The Butterheads. The lovely ladies of the court of Princess Kay of the Milky Way hold this honor of having their busts carved in Minnesota butter.
2. One of my favorite food stops, up there with Sweet Martha's cookies and Hawaiian Shaved Ice.
3. Family friend Marcus and one of the pigs he showed his year. Last year, the pig he showed went home to have five piglets, but died during labor. They removed the piglets by c-section and Marcus and his folks BOTTLE FED all FIVE piglets every TWO hours for the first THREE weeks of their lives. Marcus brought three of those piglets-all-grown-up to show at the fair this year.
4. In the Creative Arts building, all of the quilts, canned goods and baked goods are on display. It is a life goal to enter cookies at the fair. Maybe next year...
5. Could there be a better center picture for a photo collage? I didn't think so. Behold, a finished Butterhead.
6. This was my favorite new experience at the fair! We watched the 4-H cow show. Oh my word. You cannot tell this from the picture, but these cows are naughty. And they don't like to be on leashes. And the poor middle school 4-H'ers have to do their best to pretend like they have serious control of these large, opinionated animals. There were scuffles, and tempers and I couldn't get enough. This is a new fair tradition.
7. The reason I love the fair like I do: My family arranges flowers for competition with the Minnesota Gladiolas Society. A lesser known of all societies (please smile here), we are a fascinating combination of people who love beautiful flowers. This is my Uncle Carl and one of his AMAZING arrangements. He always makes stunning, huge, glorious arrangements.
8. This is the white ribbon I won this year for this sweet little arrangement.
9. Pork Chop on a stick. Be sure you get one of these. Salty and perfect. And my mom's favorite fair food.


So, basically, if you haven't ever been to the Minnesota State Fair, you've just got to get there. I drove 12 hours round-trip from Nebraska down for 12 hours of fair fun because it's just great.