We found ourselves tooling down the road at 75 mph in a 65 mph zone while getting passed by motorists doing 85 mph. Such is life in the fast lane down in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. I have to assume everybody there is late for something – late for work, late for supper, or late for the big game. It’s all a bit much given my wife and I could pull off a game of pickle ball between occasional cars going by on State Highway 73 that runs in front of our home. Yeah, it’s pretty quiet out there. But beyond the high-speed lane changes , tailgaters, and missed exit ramps, lies the Minnesota State Fair and by golly, we intended to get there.

The fair has become a yearly obsession that overcomes the fear of traveling amongst motorists driving like escaped prisoners in stolen vehicles. Fortunately, the pace at the fair is much slower, perhaps even plodding at best. It has to be because when you put 200,000 people in an area of a few city blocks, one can only move so fast.

What can possibly make all this hustle and bustle worth the effort you ask? Well, we pet a piglet. We stood next to a Percheron horse that reached 9 feet high at the head. We ate Spanish paella – the hot dish of Spain. We had cheese curds while sipping a cold beer in the shade. There were tap dancers, folk singers, jazz groups, marching bands, rock groups and the 143rd Army Infantry band playing and all you needed to do was stop to watch. We climbed a fire tower, something we did many times as teens – still a lot of work. My legs are still sore.

The midway contained every kind of ride you could hope for – the Spin Dry, the Slingshot, the Up-chucker and others. We toured aisles and aisles of fine arts, crafts, and woodwork. We saw robots. I learned that a space vehicle can vary 500 degrees from the side facing the sun to the side that is in the shade – a condition normal outside of earth’s protective atmosphere. We saw a one-ton pumpkin. You simply aren’t going to experience these things down at the VFW on burger night.

Speaking of the VFW, once returning back home to our quiet little Northland, we took in the Wednesday night Music in the Park which was moved to the VFW due to the threat of rain. It was a lot like a day at the fair with people often shoulder to shoulder. There were lines at the bar and busy bathrooms. Music played, people danced, stories were told, food paraded through the merriment. We even celebrated a birthday.

Unlike the fair, food was not served on a stick at the VFW. They didn’t have a petting zoo but I noticed quite a few hugs going around. If you asked for cheese your order came with a hamburger chaser attached. It was also cool that we knew most of the people there as opposed to being amongst throngs of strangers. We even made friends with a nice couple new to the area who were forced to sit with us.

Yes, the night at the VFW went just fine. It was a good time, just like the state fair. Maybe even better than playing pickleball on the highway on a Saturday night all by ourselves.

Leo is retired and lives in rural Cook with his wife, Lindy. He is the author of three books, She Won’t Mow the Daisies, The Cabin Experience, and Life Over Easy. Leo can be contacted by email at llwilenius@gmail.com.