08/29/2026
THE GREAT MINNESOTA GET-TOGETHER!
We ended up picking a record-setting opening day to attend the State Fair...but our reward was that the weather was PERFECTION! The crowds died down significantly by suppertime, and we had ourselves quite a time!
We started with the Daily Mall parade along with Lino Lakes, Sartell, and Sauk Rapids in the State Fair Visiting Royalty Trolley. It was fun to see people we knew along the route!
After the parade, we went into the Dairy Building to get a pic with the new Princess Kay Jena, but she was elsewhere filming a documentary. It was wall-to-wall people in there anyway, and we were feeling rather claustrophobic! 😬
We were happy to be back in the fresh air where we ran into Ian Leonard (Fox 9 Meteorologist) who took a selfie with us...we have a long history together because of our mutual Special Olympics connections. Such a kind guy!
Then Little Miss VIVI and her family split off and went their own way...they saw a lumberjack show, and Viv was determined to get a picture with Princess Kay! She got one, along with one of the finalists who is from neighboring Princeton.
At WCCO, meteorologist Chris Shaffer gave us a shout out during his weather segment on the 6:00 news, and then we ventured off for some fair food. Although everything we tried was delicious, our favorite was the strawberries and chocolate! By the time we realized we should probably consume some protein along with all the carbs, fat, and sugar, our bellies were full. Oh, well!
Fair aficionado AIMEE OLSON (1998) tracked us down after judging a food contest and we had a delightful time visiting with her, as well as with the kids who saw "princesses" standing right there in the street and swooped right in!
What we learned about wearing crowns at the Fair:
*People call out "congratulations!" as you walk by
OR
*They ask if you're Princess Kay
OR
*They see "Cambridge" and stop you to tell a story about their connection to our town!
It's all perfectly wonderful and we will never tire of being proud to be walking billboards for our community...no matter where we are!
*Thanks to LAURIE for chaperoning and to MIRANDA for adding some photos of VIVI's fun at the Fair!