Disclaimer: I love the Minnesota State Fair. It’s a welcome tradition. An exclamation point coming at the end of summer. Tag along with friends or family? Sign me up. Working the fair for 12 straight days? Insert deep sigh here.
For the better part of four decades during my media career, I worked the fair and met amazing people. Don’t have time to see all of Minnesota? Hit the fair!
In spite of stalkers, traffic snarls and the best people-watching this side of Las Vegas, it was an annual rite of passage.
During the halcyon days of local TV, KARE-11 flew us to the fair in its Sky-11 chopper. On one of those flights, pilot Max Messmer turned to me and said, “Paul, if the blades stop spinning, this craft has all the aerodynamics of a grand piano.” That has stuck with me.
Friday may be the wettest day of the fair with showers and thunderstorms. Monday will be the coolest day of the fair, with sweatshirt weather in the morning. It will warm up next week, with low 80s the weekend of Aug. 30-31. I don’t see 90s, just a hint of late September.
