What's So Great About the Great Minnesota Get-Together?

Though I've kept you updated on the State Fair improvements and price changes, I have a confession to make: I am not a fan of the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it. I've been a few times before and I manage to find some enjoyment. I like the rides and I love Sweet Martha's cookies (the best part of my trip is buying a bucket). But other than that, I guess I just don't get it. I don't understand why it's a statewide attraction, why everyone seems to count down the days until it's here and why people go two or five or all twelve days. If it weren't for my friends, I would not go at all. I have little patience for crowds, I do not have a strong craving for random fried foods and it has never been my dream to be immortalized in butter or see in anyone else immortalized in it for that matter. Maybe I should justify my feelings by saying this: I am not a native Minnesotan. I was born in California and grew up in the western states. State fairs were never a big thing in those places, so I didn't grow up with them like everybody here did. Perhaps that is my problem. Loving the State Fair seems to be a trait that's born and bred in Minnesotans. The children I nanny, ages 6 and 8, could not be more excited and I know people my age and older who share the same enthusiasm. That is one thing I do love about the fair: it really does bring the state together. People from north and south, east and west, young and old absolutely love spending all day there. Unfortunately, I'm just not one of them.   Photo via: Matt