Lark Toys, Kellogg, MN

Wow, they don't make them like this place anymore. Not only is Lark Toys making classic, American-made wood toys, but they managed to create a retail environment that is a throw-back in feel and practice. 

Toys, obviously. Their classic wooden creations:

Even some classic mass-produced toys:

A boatload of marbles:

But also a number of things you wouldn't expect to see.

In a nutshell, if you're anywhere near Kellogg, MN, you have to stop. 

Rudy's Drive-In, La Crosse, WI

If you happen to be looking for Americana combined with food as you pass through Wisconsin, I'm not sure there could be a better place than this classic drive-in in La Crosse.

They were able to fill our tummies with "Super" burgers, chicken strips, french fries, and some awesome rootbeer floats. I would recommend Rudy's to anyone passing through. 

Not only that, but there aren't too many places that still offer carhop service to your vehicle. Something young kids in the US certainly should see if the chance comes up. 

2015 Carver County Fair, Pig Races!, Waconia, MN

I had never seen a pig race in my life, well, at least not live, so I did want to make sure I caught their version, I was able to duck out of the ro-sham-bo contest for a spell and get in on all the porcine action.

These races are very simple in theory and practice, but the organizers really "hammed" it up for the crowd. I mean, they threw pig phrases or words into any sentence... possibly too many times (insert "groan"). And then the 3 rounds of races must be about 10 seconds long each. The pigs race for a single mini-donut. Not bad, but not that exciting. It all looked like this:

Out of the three, young male pigs (Kermit the Hog, Arnold Schwartzenhogger,and Piglet - this is not a joke, the announcer introduced each pig with elaborate introductions), Piglet came out the winner of this round.

Unless you or your kids really love pigs, I think I'd steer clear of this porky product.

2015 Carver County Fair, Part I, Waconia, MN

I thought of this quote from Wedding Crashers when I think about county fair season:

Jeremy Grey: Grab that net and catch that beautiful butterfly, pal! What do you like better, Christmas or Wedding Season?
[Jeremy raises his hand]
John Beckwith: Mr. Grey?
Jeremy Grey: Yes. The answer would be, um, Wedding Season?
[shimmy-shakes]
John Beckwith: Bingo! I'm gonna get my suit. Now who are we this time?

And I have to say, I might choose county fair season as my favorite of the year. And I mean over Christmas and all the other ones. Here's what I ate at the very recent [burp] Carver County Fair:

- Small Mint Milkshake with added Chocolate sauce

- Pork Chop in a Stick

- Locally-made Italian Sausage, with peppers & onions

- Deep-fried Cheese Curds

- Minneapple Pie with Cinnamon ice cream

- 2 Leinenkugel's Lemon Shandy beers

And I 'd do it again. In fact, I'll hopefully get close to that this coming week at this year's Cokato Corn Carnival. In my opinion, not to be missed.

We toured the barns between food binges and got to see, in chronological order: 

- lambs/sheep

- llamas

- dogs (in a "talent show")

- elephants

- pigs (in pig races... more in next post)

- horses

- cows

(no birds or poultry of any kind this year at the fairs, some kind of quarantine issue)

We also got to meet some neat folks on the Carver County Fair Board while we participated in the insanely popular Rock-Scissors-Paper Tournament, which we simply stumbled into. Now, I know what you might be thinking, "Why would you enter that!?" Well, how does a $500 prize sound to you? It sounded pretty good to me. The friend I went with got to the 4th round (of 7) and was 8 people left from 158. She actually lost to the eventual champion.  I went down in the first round to a very sharp 6 year old. Ah well, next year.

Revisit 2: CoV, Wayzata, MN

Seriously, you haven't been here yet? It's ok, I'll keep going and eat all the food. 

This last visit as great with a properly cooked medium-well hanger steak and frites, served with a tomato-avocado salad and truffle fries. 

As if I needed it, I topped off the meal with half of this key lime pie. Very good - graham cracker crust, fresh whipped cream, blackberries, plenty of lime tang, and a mango sauce prettifying the plate. 

2015 Wright County Fair, Friday Night Demolition Derby, Howard Lake, MN

What a raucous good time. It did get a bit long in the tooth towards the end, but standing on alloy bleachers for a couple hours will make any adult cranky (and creaky). 

Who needs a car-crusher when you have demo derby?

2015 Wright County Fair, Pie Eating Finals, Howard Lake, MN

You're probably going to have a good day if it starts out with this sign. 

Having qualified at their pie eating contest a couple of years ago, I got through this year's Friday qualifier in first place. It felt pretty good and people seemed excited. I guess ~20 or so years of eating meals with siblings hanging on for every extra uneaten scrap paid off. 

The finals were a couple days later, on Sunday. I decided I'd allow the excitement people had for the feat on Friday propel me through another quarter of a pie and the final round on Sunday. At the very least I'd be eating another piece of free, homemade pie (go Waverly Cafe!). At best I'd win cash and the right to be called the champ. In actuality, a food challenge is something I've wanted to see through for a while now.  

A quick primer on the contest rules, as I know them: 

- every person is served a quarter of a standard 9" pie (about two "normal" pieces)

- it's always been cherry pie, as that filling shows up best on the face for the audience

- you can only use your mouth to eat, hands/arms are placed behind your back

- contestants must clean the plate leaving nothing bigger than the size of a dime, though I've heard nickel too

- first one with a clean plate wins, though that has not meant it has to be chewed and swallowed, just off the plate

The finals proved much more contested than the qualifier, including a recently de-throned county fair queen and a pre-teen boy that seemed extra hungry. However, I was able to bring home of the cash and glory. My quick calculations from video prove me cleaning my plate in about 28 seconds. 

How sweet it is. See you next year Wright County Fair.