The great Minnesota get-together

I admit it: I'm a state fair junkie. When I was a kid I loved it, when I spent hundreds of hours there working for Sen. Rudy Boschwitz and his flavored-milk stand, I loved it, and now that I spend 9-10 nights each year working at the Grandstand, I still love it.

The food, the people-watching, the same old familiar sights year after year...it's always fun. Here's a quick photo essay of this year's activity.





Here's Cal Clutterbuck of the Wild, signing autographs at the Wild's booth. Judging from his biceps, I'd say he's been doing his off-season weightlifting.










Classic state fair scene: Minnesotans watching a gadget demonstration in the hot, stuffy grandstand.


















If you want to be considered a "real" radio station, you have to broadcast live from the fairgrounds. Here's KFAN's Dan Barrerio interviewing Gopher basketball coach Tubby Smith.




















And just a hundred yards or so away, Joe Soucheray of ESPN 1500 (formerly KSTP-AM) trades jibes with Governor Mark Dayton.

























The Minnesota Twins now have a huge tent of their own, and out back they've set up a little whiffle ball field.
























My daughter Corrie gave each set of grandparents their own nickname, and I'm "Opa" which is a Dutch variation of Grandpa. Imagine my surprise to find my own food/music/beer spot on the grounds. (I think Opaa is a Greek version of the same word.)

UPDATE: The valedictorian of my high school class (Princeton '74), Sandy Radeke, informs me that "Opaa" is sort of a Greek version of "Cheers" or some other celebratory word. Makes sense, and is further evidence (as if anymore were needed) that Sandy was paying attention in class while I was slacking off.