Fun at the Fair..

Well, another Minnesota State Fair has come and gone. This year's was a good one for me. For starters, I love the fact that this year there were two park and ride lots just minutes from where I live (even though the shuttle bus schedules were erratic, at best).

I did take time out from my newly adopted 80% organic way of eating to do my usual food fair: fries, corn, foot long hot dog. I did go in search of the 18-inch hot dog I thought I'd heard about. That turned out to be a corn dog, however, so I passed.

I did not make it to the MPR Morning Show broadcast this year (I'm sorry, Dale and Jim Ed, I still love you!). I had two fair visits this year. The first was detailed in the previous "musical fantasy" post. Before that show, I took in my other tradition, going to the live Channel 5 news broadcasts (and getting my mug on camera). At that broadcast, the audience was charmed and impressed by a country/rock/bluegrass band, the Drew Davis Band, based out of California. They've just been signed to a record deal and have had great success touring with Trace Adkins, among others. These fellows played going in and out of breaks and really bonded with the audience (especially me when fiddle player "the Drake" sat down next to me and played during one of those breaks).

On Sunday, my marathon free show day, I went early to catch the Drew Davis Band's early show. They did a half acoustic and half electric set. They've got great musicianship, solid songwriting and a strong frontman in Drew Davis. I'd keep an ear out for these guys.

I also caught recent Nashville success and Coon Rapids resident Rockie Lynne, who most definitely had a hometown crowd out in force. I bet a lot of these folks were behind him when he was getting started and they must be thrilled to see the success he had with "Lipstick". It was a very good set, and Rockie's a particularly decent guitar player. He introduced a number of biker people who were posing for pictures in front of the stage before the show. Rockie and these folks organize a ride each year to visit loved ones of those who died serving our country to tell them "their loss had not gone unnoticed". Very nice.

Then it was off to the Ramberg Senior Center to visit my buddy Mike Loonan who was playing a number of sets there with one of his musical partners, guitarist Chris Herriges. I'd not heard these two play together before--they regularly do "dueling piano/guitar" gigs where people make requests and they play whatever is thrown out at them. They were up for the challenge in each set I sat through...even polka requests. Of course, you know now that as the years go on, Beatles and Simon and Garfunkle tunes will be the senior set "music of your life" before we know it. Yow.

I was hoping the dire predictions of rain would hold off for the evening. No such luck. By the time I was headed for the bandstand to stake out a seat for a couple of hours to see Brenda Lee, it was pouring. And, it kept pouring. But there was a seat on the front row bench on the end. I wasn't the only one hanging in for three hours. After all, this was one of the greatest female singers who ever lived (in my book) I was waiting on. I was soaked in places my blue tarp Disneyland poncho couldn't reach, my hands were getting shriveled and numb because I couldn't keep them dry. I also was running out of ideas on how to keep my tote bags dry.

But it was worth it. A comic named C. Willi Myles helped us endure the rain. He was entertaining, and clean. He's lived in MN since he went to college at St. Cloud State. A lot of his humor was about being from Alabama and learning about our weather and ice fishing. Then finally it was time for Brenda Lee. I thought it unusual that they played all her hit songs on the sound system as they were setting up for her. She actually only did a few of those in full during her show, the rest were in medley. But hey--she was still Miss Dynamite, and she was so down to earth, humble for all she has accomplished, and very funny. I am very glad I had the opportunity to see and hear one of my musical heroes and legends.