THE BALLOON MAN

 For Minnesotans, fair days ahead
from: startribune.com
 Article by: CURT BROWN , Star Tribune

Published August 22 and 23, 2012



Attendance varies, but the State Fair endures as a ritual celebrating summer's bounty and Minnesota's traditions.

A worker hammered on the Wind Storm ride in preparation for the Minnesota State Fair’s opening day on Thursday in Falcon Heights.
Carlos Gonzalez, Star Tribune

Attendance varies, but the State Fair endures as a ritual celebrating summer's bounty and Minnesota's traditions.

Chris Domingus of Hopkins arranged toy prizes for the Frogger skill game in the Mighty Midway.

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune
Phyliss and Duane Urch are packing up the poultry on their farm west of Owatonna. Doug Bieniek is lugging a 500-pound marble block from Duluth that he carved into a fine arts entry. And just as their father and uncle began doing after World War II, brothers Bill and Jim Schneider have 200 pounds of popcorn kernels ready to cook behind their root beer stand west of the grandstand.
Yep, it's State Fair time.

Taylor Schroer of Elk River attached a sign to one of the Pronto Pup booths.
Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

The annual 12-day, end-of-summer ritual begins Thursday, blending heartfelt tradition, butter heads, people watching, large boars, deep fryers, midway barkers, cheap milk and giant slide and sky rides in its dizzying, only-in-Minnesota fashion.

"The fair is kind of like your grandma: Sure, she might smell a little funny, but she sure is fun to be around," said David Woodis, the superintendent of admissions who supervises 225 ticket rippers at a dozen gates.

 

August 23, 2012

Sen. Amy Klobuchar was up early too, greeting guests waiting for the gates to open, kicking off the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Despite pricey gas, a sluggish economy and some swine flu concerns, Woodis is predicting a record 1.8 million fairgoers this go-around. While other Midwest fairs have been jolted by the drought, Minnesota has dodged that harsh reality. In fact, officials had to cut off applications for dairy goat exhibitors two days before the deadline because the barn had filled up.

The human crowds dipped in the past two years after a record 1,790,497 came for their corn on the cob in 2009. If fair honchos are worried about having their first three-year drop in attendance since 1991, they're not showing it.

6:30 am thursday, Aug 23, 2012
Eager fair guests lined up early outside the main gate on Snelling Ave.

"We're plateauing right now after 50 years of steady growth," said Jerry Hammer, who's grown from a neighborhood kid sneaking over gaps in the barbed-wire fence 40 years ago to general manager.

"A few thousand one way or the other doesn't mean anything," Hammer said. "If it fell off 100,000, then you're talking about something. But we've had some dips and no real spikes and we're on this plane where the last three years have been our highest ever."

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