My wife’s family has an annual tradition of attending the @mnstatefair (aka “The Great Minnesota Get Together”). Every year, regardless of where we’re living, @beckybitz and I travel back to MN around Labor Day to visit the in-laws and partake. But this year is different...

We’ve gone every year we’ve been together. This year’s cancellation was a huge blow to @beckybitz. But she would not accept the lack of a “Fair Day”...

So she decided to recreate the @mnstatefair in Colorado this year (and spared no detail )! These are today’s activities

Fun fact: The @mnstatefair has the largest per-day state fair attendance in the country (Texas has a slightly larger total attendance by running longer an extra few days)

We started with Breakfast: Waffle sandwiches and “Breakfast Pronto Pups” (Deep Fried Sausage in Pancake batter). (Note the fair-style trays and dipping cups)

Did I mention all food is deep fried and/or on a stick?!?

9am beers from the @Leinenkugels Lodge! (She even decorated the cups!)

With Minnesota beers from @surlybrewing on tap throughout the day

The quilting competition winners at the Creative Arts Building!

The “winning” quilt is made of @bostonsci “day at the fair” t-shirts where @beckybitz dad worked. Others made by our family members.

Fun at Machinery Hill! (where all of the @JohnDeere equipment, @harleydavidson , tractors , and cars are modeled)

With trucks borrowed from moms in the neighborhood!

The “Miracle of Birth” Center! (We have not actually been in real life)

Fried cheese curds for lunch!

With more fun to come after nap time!

Enjoying The Horse Barn!

(My Dad actually made that rocking horse when I was a kid!)

A tour of the Fine Arts Building!

This is actually a bunch of my old art, mostly from HS, that my parents kept and dropped in my garage). The ribbons, including a Best in Show are legit! Ribbons not matched with their pieces)

Making spooky bats in the Eco building with recycled materials!

Fair staple @SweetMarthas cookies made at home!

“Whoa, that’s a lot of cookies!!”

(their actual bucket is overflowing but the at home replica was a bit bigger!)

Rollercoaster at The Midway!

Spinny ride at The Midway!

And games and prizes at The Midway! They took way too many tickets!

(As did the rollercoaster he’s ridden 50x)

A stop at the “Agriculture Horticulture” Building for some craft beer tasting thanks to @mncraftbrew and a look at some this year’s “seed art”!

Becky bought the seed art a couple years ago; made by a homeless man at @ListeningHouse community center. Becky made the MN beer cutout

And the stops at the 2020 @mnstatefair end with a frozen banana and deep fried Oreos!

What a day as we end it “back at home” with our traditional pizza (that we barely touch), an exhausted toddler (who still won’t sleep through the night) and two exhausted parents (who will stay up drinking anyway)!

If you followed along and made it this far, @beckybitz deserved 1000% of the credit for the days events and contents of this thread (I just played along)! She’s one hell of a wife and mom and I couldn’t be prouder!