I've been going to the Minnesota State Fair since the all-you-can-drink milk was one thin dime – not the $1 it is today. I guess that says something about inflation – and my age. I remember strolling through the old log DNR building when I was a kid. It's been a mainstay – and a prime attraction – at the fair since 1934. More than a half-million people visit it each season.
This year, the DNR is celebrating the building's 75th anniversary. It was built by the old Civilian Conservation Corps back when the DNR was called the Department of Conservation. (The CCC, of course, was the public work relief program spurred by the Great Depression.) The DNR has a very cool gallery of old photos of the building and visitors to it on its website, www.dnr.state.mn.us. Included in the slideshow are old photos of governors and DNR commissioners at the building and surrounding grounds. Check it out. The State Fair opens Thursday.
Also on the DNR's website is a schedule of events and entertainment at the DNR building.
STATE PARK SALE
State parks are holding an end-of-summer clearance sale, beginning Wednesday, of T-shirts, sweatshirts, caps and other merchandise at camp stores and gift shops. Not all state parks sell merchandise, and not all clearance items are available in all stores.
