Another County Fair

 Fairmont, MN

I am in Fairmont, just 8 mines from the Iowa border eating my porkchop on a stick!

The Martin County Fair

Today Donna and I drove south about an hour and 40 minutes to Fairmont, MN, the county seat of Martin County.  The drive took us through 6 new counties as we chip away at a Minnesota completion.  It was a really nice drive down US 169 Dude!  We saw a lot of cornfields because we were pretty much in Iowa.  We also saw a lot of old barns with grain silage.  

Donna didn't snap any photos of the barns but they all looked like this pretty much.

We arrived at the fairgrounds and found parking in a grass lot and then paid our $10 each to get in.  We were there at around 11:30 on a Tuesday so the crowds were light.

Marty is Martin County's mascot.  I guess Martin County is the Bacon Capital of The US.  It's the #1 pork producer in Minnesota.

We each got a porkchop on a stick at the official Martin County Pork Counsels building.  Other rando venders were selling them also but we wanted to support local pork.

I don't know why I took this.  We didn't enter to win although I would love the Bacon Capital T-Shirt.

Donna has wanted a porkchop on a stick since getting one last year at the Kanabec County Fair last year (see here).  Our memory is faulty because we both remembered the porkchop on a stick but it wasn't on a stick.  It was just as delicious as we remembered.

I know I am intimidated by whatever this is.

This is just before Donna got to pet the donkey.

Little Sebastian! 

You're going to want to stay clear of the beater.  It looks painful.

Can I get $10 for wearing one while I am in the grandstands?

I guess there is no data on what chickens look like in 2024.

The porkchop wasn't enough so we got some more food.  Donna wanted Pie

We ended up getting pie and a Hot Turkey Commercial (see below info)

The Hot Turkey Commercial is a regional name for a Hot Turkey or Hot Turkey Sandwich or Open Face Hot Turkey Sandwich or Turkey Manhattan.  I know of this dish as a Hot Turkey Sandwich and ate them a lot while working at Disneyland in the employee cafeteria.  The term commercial probably comes from the fact that it is served at school lunches and so it isn't a thing you would make at home much.  At any rate, it was good, salty, and fun to eat.  

I haven't thought of 7Up in a long time.  This clock is old.

On the way home we took a different rout home so we picked up another county.  Here is where we stand in Minnesota as of today.

The purple counties are this year's new counties.  We will grab a few more to the southeast this month.  We are approaching 50% Complete for Minnesota.

That's it for today.  If you missed, Swing Dancing in a Cave, check it out.

Swing Dancing in a Cave

 St. Paul, MN

Wabasha Street Caves

This evening we used the Jazz 88 Calendar  to find out that The Wabasha Street Caves have a live big band and swing dancing every Thursday night.  Donna and I took Swing Dancing Lessons before we left Washington and haven't practiced since so it was an awkward affair.  The teacher was great and the turnout was HUGE.  We were taught a more easy going swing than the West Coast Swing that we learned in Washington.  It was easier to dance to faster songs with fewer steps during the basic part of the dance.  It was harder for both of us to unlearn what we had already learned.  

After a 45 minute lesson that is included with admission ($10), a 15ish piece big band started playing.  They have been playing this venue for 25ish years so they sounded great.  There was also a bar selling drinks.  It was fun and I am sure we will go back.  Maybe I will practice at home so I am less awkward next time.

The Wabasha Street Caves were, apparently, a hot spot for bootlegging and speakeasies back during prohibition but they also claim the caves are haunted.  One of those things probably isn't true.

Tours are on offer when swing dancing isn't happening and you can even pay for a tour during the swing dancing.

Technically the "caves" are mines because they are man made.

You pay your $10 and enter the "Caves"

We arrived at doors opening so we could see everything before everyone got there.

The bar

I got a "Manhattan".  The bartender forgot to put bitters in it and then took it back and mixed some in.

At 6:15, the swing lessons began.

It was truly a big band, something you don't see that often for $10.

Later in the evening I had local IPA.

The Dance Floor was hopping!

There were also side areas where there was a bit more room to dance.

It was a fun evening of feeling like I needed to learn to dance all over again.  I am sure we will be back to at least enjoy a solid big band and maybe try our hand, or feet, at dancing again.

That's it for today.  If you missed, Can Can Wonderland, check it out.  We played mini golf and pinball.

Can Can Wonderland

St. Paul, MN

Because You Can Can Can!

This week, our friend Jeff has been visiting so we have been hitting up cool things.  Today we went to Can Can Wonderland in St. Paul.   Can Can Wonderland is an entertainment and arts area within an old cannery.  You pay to get in and then you can see art, play pinball, play video games and other amusement games, buy beer by the ounce at the self pour bar, play mini golf, and do other things. I had high expectations and it exceeded those expectations.

Underground parking.  This place is popular year round and underground parking helps here in the cold north.

Pour yourself a beer!  By the oz!  You can make a suicide like when you were a kid at the skate ranch!

I bought a regular full pour from the bartender and then took an out of focus photo of it just for you!

Donna played a whack a mole type game very gently.  We called it "boop a gator".

I got my game face on for mini golf.

The 18 holes of min golf were amazing.  It was a great course.

In one end...

and out the other.

Donna and I played Space Race.  You spin a wheel and try to orbit the Earth faster than the other player.  The winner gets to hear either the US or Russian National Anthem depending on which country they picked.

Donna and I played Speed Racer.  You spin a wheel and try to orbit the track faster than the other player.  (yes there were some similarities shared between the two games).

This game had an outdated theme.  You shot polar bears, penguins, and other artic creatures.

After a day of pinball and mini golf, you just want to sit with your alien friends and try to eat their balloon.

After Can Can Wonderland we swung by Lake Monster Brewing.  Donna found this brewery and wanted to go before we even moved to the area.

The 3 of us shared this flight of 4 small pours.

Later that evening we shared an old beer that Jeff brought.  It was still delicious.

That's it for today.  If you missed, How to Win at Pinball, check it out.