It’s the hot, moist, summer breeze that smells of roasting corn and grilling beef. The deafening sounds of carnival barkers, bumper car horns, excited kids and generators humming to keep the blinking lights bright in the night sky. It’s paying for too many tries to knock the bottles down with one baseball pitch. It’s cotton candy sticking to your face, getting sick on the Octopus, hoping the Ferris Wheel doesn’t abruptly stop at the top, and failing to ring the bell with a sledgehammer swing to impress your date.
The scene is one of enduring rural Americana found all around the Midwest this time of year: the county fair. There’s such a spirit of community expressed at these summer celebrations: The livestock shows, the tractor pulls, quilting contests, homemade jams, student artwork exhibits. They are also a good reason to stay home from the cabin at least one weekend before the summer ends.
And let’s not forget that Minnesota’s biggest get-together begins August 23. Where did the summer go?
A partial list of Minnesota county fairs taking place in coming days:
Kandiyohi County Fair
Willmar, MN
August 8-11
Carver County Fair
Waconia, MN
August 8-12
Nicollet County Fair
St. Peter, MN
August 8-12
Morrison County Fair
Little Falls, MN
August 9-12
Martin County Fair
Fairmont, MN
August 13-19
McCloud County Fair
Hutchinson, MN
August 15-19
