My friend Kathleen and I spent yesterday afternoon and evening at the Minnesota State Fair. We had a great time!I think it was the third time in my 15 years of living in the Twin Cities that I attended the State Fair. My last visit to the Fair was in 2007.
Above right: Kathleen and I sampling some of the locally-produced wines at the booth of the Minnesota Grape Growers Association.
Actually, before we hit the plonk, the first place we visited was the Fine Arts Pavilion (pictured at left).I have friends who have long told me that the State Fair is a great place for taking photographs, and so that’s exactly what I decided to do - starting with some of the works inside the Fine Arts Pavilion that especially caught my attention.
Above: One of the works of art that definitely caught my attention was Donald A. Bajus’ “Time Travel 1510 Rome: Michelangelo and Me.”I also enjoyed and appreciated Allen James Wood’s “I Am Knut” (right) and Ron Merchant’s “Street Series: Traffic Stop” (below).
Jars of colorful jams (above) and bottles of vinegar (below) in the Creative Arts Pavilion.
Above: Also in the Creative Arts Pavilion, beautiful textile artworks.
Above: Honey, honey, honey! But, alas, no buckwheat honey. They’d sold out earlier that day.
Above: A “crop art” portrait of President Obama!
Above: Good Gourd!
Above: The latest in . . . er . . . sheep wear!
I’d never visited the various animal barns during my previous visits to the State Fair. To be honest, it was rather depressing last night seeing the hundreds of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, sheep, pigs, cows, etc, in their pens and cages.I was drawn to photograph the white rooster at left because of this.
Above: Closing up for the day. (Actually, I’d like to see all of us decide to close up shops like this for good! I think humanity will one day evolve to that point.)
Back in Australia, we don't have “fairs,” but rather “shows.” Many cities and towns have an annual show. I grew up, for instance, experiencing the Gunnedah Show. Australia’s biggest show is undoubtedly Sydney’s Royal Easter Show.
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Out and About - August 2007
Everglades Exhibition
Northwoods
A Gay Presence at Pride
Billabong Koala Park
Images: Michael J. Bayly.
2 comments:
Nice shots!
BTW, the animals that come to fair to be shown are in fact pampered like no others. The chicken you snapped was in a small cage for a few days while at the fair, but he certainly has much more space to move about at home. Also, his feathers are washed and oiled to make him ready to show.
So, feel no angst for these animals, unless you otherwise object to the keeping of domesticated animals even in the best of conditions.
Kudos to the photographer. That first, night shot is like something out of National Geographic.
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