Up North & the State Fair

What two things define a Minnesota summer? Going up North, and the State Fair. We just got back from a few days in the North Woods–Lake Vermilion, specifically. Lake Vermilion has been our usual northern destination for more than 25 years. We had a great time as always, especially since our whole family could be there, including our daughter and son-in-law who returned from two years in Australia the day before, and two friends of our youngest daughter.

If you are a Minnesotan, you probably have witnessed scenes like these many times, but they never get old:

Minnesota is a beautiful place, which no doubt is one reason why we tolerate a good deal of foolishness to live here.

Then there is the State Fair, which you can’t really get, in my opinion, unless you are a native or adopted Minnesotan. If there is anything like it in the other 49 states, I haven’t seen it. (Sorry, Wisconsin, I’ve been to your fair!)

This year, American Experiment will have a strong presence at the fair. We haven’t yet finalized the details, but next week I plan to join my friend Ed Morrissey on one of his five days of Hot Air at the Fair on AM 1280 the Patriot, broadcasting live from the fair. Listen for our ads upcoming on 1280, too–as usual, we don’t advertise ourselves, we advertise facts.

On Labor Day, American Experiment is sponsoring WCCO Radio at the State Fair. We will be at the WCCO booth throughout Labor Day, passing out literature including a hot-off-the-press edition of Thinking Minnesota, our amazingly good magazine. If you tune to 830 AM, you will hear our ads and sponsorship announcements through the day, with perhaps some on-air time, too.

Like many other Minnesota organizations, we see the State Fair as a great opportunity to introduce ourselves to fellow Minnesotans who are not yet familiar with our work, as well as to say hello to lots more who are already part of our movement. If you are at the fair on Labor Day, please stop by the WCCO booth and say hi. If you do, you can register to win one of our new t-shirts or hats. I wore the t-shirt yesterday, and had to explain to several people what a think tank is:

We are Minnesota’s Think Tank, so it is only right that we celebrate our state’s natural beauty and participate in the Great Minnesota Get-Together. We hope to see you there!