Same Time Next Year

The movie Love Actually opens and concludes with scenes of people greeting each other in an airport. They run toward one another and embrace; their faces filled with joy and love and wonder at being together again. And from the opening credits I am a bawling, blubbering pool of goo. I can hardly write these words without tearing up.  (I know, I know, I am and have always been a dork.  But if you can watch that movie without a sniffle you are hardhearted.)

If Love Actually had been filmed in Minnesota they could have used the State Fair Grounds for those scenes. Friends and families have their special reunion spots. You can see them gathering at the Fish Pond near the DNR Stage. You can hear shouts and greetings and laughter as they assemble outside of the 4H Building. Some of us meet at the Space Needle or at Salem (their breakfast is tops) or the FM 107 stage.

The annual ritual of meeting up with long lost but never forgotten friends keeps me attending the Fair multiple times over the 12-day run. Walking along Judson, Carnes, and Cooper we friends do the fast-forward replay to catch up on our lives. At the Fair, time stands still. Sure, there are changes – new buildings, foods, and attractions – but like good friendships, the foundation remains secure and steadfast.

Saying goodbye to the Fair on Labor Day is made easier knowing I’ll be there again next year. And once again I’ll meet up with dear friends, and together we'll head toward the beer garden or crepe stand or midway or pet barn. We'll share cheese curds and pay too much for good cold beer. We might take a whirl on the Giant Slide or ride through the musky dark Ye Old Mill or have a milk drinking match with some kids.  Same Time Next Year.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blog.