Welcome to the Fair! I haven’t been to many festivals this summer; timing just hasn’t worked in my favor. Lucky for me, though, I get to make up for it all by going to the granddaddy of festivals: the Minnesota State Fair, the place that made food-on-a-stick famous. This is my first
When I finished my week in Brainerd last Friday, I needed time to regroup and catch up on some work. I wanted to find a place that at the very least approximated a city, someplace where the lettuce is green, fries are not the only side dish, and that breathes life instead of sucking
Any day that begins with dropping your smartphone in the toilet is fraught with symbolism. Down the toilet went my common sense and a big chunk of my day. I managed to squeeze in a quick driving tour of Brainerd, found a nice place to sit next to the Mississippi, and even managed to spend
On a Saturday night in June, the parlor of the restored Grand Rapids (Minnesota) house where little Judy Garland (nee Frances Ethel Gumm) spent the first four years of her life is draped with nostalgia. The parlor, decorated with period furniture, an upright piano, and a small gaggle of old queens and divas, is an
It started so innocently. First I started taking pictures of fun/odd statues that I came across. Then I wanted to get in a picture of a giant mining truck, so I could provide a sense of scale. After that, I had the brilliant idea that I should be appearing next to all the odd/fun statues
This was a good week for getting outside. To kick things off, I had a chance to chat and learn from two of the area’s experts on the natural world: Bill Marshall, the sage of the forest, and John Latimer, a man in touch with the seasons and cycles. Thanks to them, this city
