8/24/2005

Scholar's State Fair Checklist

It's late August, when a young owl's fancy turns to...The State Fair! The Minnesota State Fair starts tomorrow. Scholar loves the fair, it has his favorite things in life: food, education, politics, talk radio, and lots of free stuff (what my friend who sells specialty advertising calls "trinkets 'n' trash"). So here is this year's edition of the clip-and-save (or cut-and-paste) Scholar's State Fair Checklist!

1. Education Building

  • Minnesota State Legislature - get yer Red Book directory of legislators and other fascinating and practical literature without having to visit the nice ladies at 175 State Office Building, and maybe meet a state legislator in person.

  • Minnesota Department of Education - free pencils! And speak with someone who knows the difference between Q-Comp and Q-Tips.

  • Minnesota Department of Commerce - free CD-ROMs loaded with consumer info!

  • Education Minnesota - free union propaganda!

  • William Mitchell School of Law - free pocket U.S. Constitution booklets (grab some for the kids)!

  • Bethel University - free rulers!
2. Media

  • AM 1280 The Patriot - when you've said The Patriot, you've said it all. Check out the Northern Alliance Radio Network broadcasts on the weekends. Get a photo of the guys eating Scotch eggs. Southeast corner of the fairgrounds, on Judson Avenue near the International Bazaar (there's a joke in there somewhere).
3. Politics

  • Taxpayers League of Minnesota - first floor, Grandstand. Get yer static clings, brochures, and less taxes, smaller government dogma! Meet David Strom (maybe)!

  • Political parties

  • Political candidates
4. Food

  • Tom Thumb Doughnuts and dark roast coffee

  • Pronto Pups

  • Sweet Martha's Chocolate Chip Cookies

  • Dino's Gyros

  • 1000 ml Nalgene bottle of water from home, frozen the night before if I remember

  • Guilty pleasure: Cheese Curds
Have fun at The Fair! After The Fair ends, boom, it's back to school.