Fran Ok, so there was really very little doubt that I would, in fact, be making my 5th trip to the Fair today for Day 12, the last day of the Great Minnesota Get-Together!
Katie, Henry and I made our traditional Labor Day pilgrimage to the last day of the Fair. Katie was really trooping today, going without the scooter in her booted foot, sporting not only her sassy custom Fair tee shirt but also her newly-purchased bag (from the Fair, of course) made from old seed bags.
Here we are, onsite and ready to do this one more time!
We came out of the gate (rather, into the gate) fast, and beelined for the Deep Fried Pickles. Get ‘em every year, love ‘em every year! Henry, on the other hand, just saw the pickle stop as the thing standing between him and the horse show, so he was happy when they arrived quickly so we could keep walking towards the Coliseum!
Ah, we settled into Henry’s happy place for a last visit to the horse show. Today’s show was exciting - all of the speed event finals! This is the Jumping Figure 8 final.
Henry is too focused to look at the camera for his picture.
We’ve been intrigued by the Australian Battered Potatoes for years but have always been intimidated by the potion size (if you can believe it, this is the smaller of the two sizes you can get). This was the day we finally took the plunge (yeah, we went all-out deep fried goodness for our first two choices today!) That’s the ranch/cheese/bacon combo (hey, the sign said that was the customer favorite!) Ok, so we were skeptical… but these were quite good. The batter was reminiscent of fish and chips in a way. It was totally decadent, and even three of us did not finish it, but I give it a thumbs up!
Henry went one better and gave it one and a half thumbs up! Henry usually likes his food pretty plain but after a couple of bites was making sure he got some ketchup and cheese on there. So, I think the Fabrizios are converts to the Australian Battered Potato, but we need like 6 more people to share it with us!
More horse show! Pole bending finals.
I’m pretty sure this is Henry’s favorite “horse” of all. It’s pretty funny when they take the tractor breaks, a lot of people take the opportunity to leave, and Henry gets PUMPED! “Listen! I hear it!!” before it even comes down the tunnel.
Henry also came up with an interesting, if somewhat inconvenient for Katie, way to clap and cheer for the horses.
The Lovaas family stopped by during the horse show! The kids made a valiant attempt to be as interested in the horse show as Henry. The Lovaas’ have been globetrotting all summer so it was nice to see them for a bit!
After the show, we wandered through the Horse Barn. Some of the horse owners make posters about their horses. Amanda goes skijoring with Dreamer! “Happy to be here and enjoy the Fair” - my kinda people (and horses)!
Henry pretending he’s entering the competition ring.
Meeting some of the horses. I’m always impressed how these horses can be so spirited and feisty in the competition ring but then sweet as can be when they have hordes of strangers coming by their stalls and petting them. This one posed patiently for a picture, which paid off when Henry gave it some gentle rubs on the nose.
The last day in the barns at the Fair is always bittersweet because all the animals are being packed up and put on trailers for the ride home, so the barns start to really empty out. At this stall, all that was left were the prize ribbons.
One last turn on the Turbo Jump. Same look of pure joy on his face!
Time for lunch! This one has been on our wishlist for a couple of years, this is the Wild Rice Cheeseburger from Wild Rice Specialties in the Food Building. Cheeseburger with wild rice mixed in it and grilled onions. Pretty good size for the price ($7, which in the Fair economy is a decent value), a legit decent burger, and an interesting twist that makes it stand out from all the other burgers around. I’m not sure how often you need a burger at the Fair with all of the other more unique foods, but I’d go back to this if I did!
One last of Henry’s favorite classic Fair item, the About a Foot Long hot dog. We split it, and you can guess which half was mine. Turns out, I should have followed Henry’s lead - this hot dog in perfect as-is, and the more you add to it the less you can appreciate how well the hot dog is seasoned. I’ll get it plain next time!
We had settled in to the 3rd Lair Extreme Bike and Skate Show to eat our lunch, and Henry was enthralled by it yet again, so we stayed through practice, the show, and more practice!
During all that time lounging at the bike show, I was making our last food runs. After retrieving and eating lunch, it was time for dessert. Henry wanted custard, so we re-visited Custard’s Last Stand for their Chocolate and Coffee swirl (the color is deceiving). This was good, but I liked the strawberry sundae version better. We’re excited to find good custard at the Fair!
The other dessert we got was the dessert that’s been getting all of the hype - the Snow Cap Mini Waffle Sundae from the Hamline Church Dining Hall - with a scoop of Izzyâs cream cheese ice cream, warm real maple syrup and a maraschino cherry. It’s so simple and tiny, can it really be worth all the hype?? YES! The waffle is light and crispy, the real maple syrup shines, and the cream cheese ice cream is just enough to bring it all together without overpowering. This is maybe the perfect Fair dessert. I hope they bring this back next year!!
And with that, our 2019 Fairgoing came to a close. We walked back to the shuttle bus happy, fulfilled, sad to say goodbye for another year but feeling like we experienced the Fair to the fullest!
And one more day full of happy memories for this tuckered out guy.
That’s it for this year, except for my Fair wrap-up and awards post, coming ASAP!
