The Hopefuls and the Fair

I had a great day at the Minnesota State Fair today. It's called the Great Minnesota Get-Together, and for good reason. For 2 weeks, the entire state of Minnesota turns out to show off the wonders of our region. HUge brans full of farm animals of all kinds, merchants in machinery and vehicles from all over, and various contests ranging from quilting to butter carving. This may sound boring to you, but really it is quite amazing. And of course, the main reason to go to the fair: The Food. You are course obligated to eat at least one helping of cheese curds. But where else can you find deep-fried Snickers bars and Oreos (they really are very good!), a huge bucket of freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies, or pay $1 to get all the milk you can drink (especially recommended after purchasing the bucket of cookies)?

The highlight of the day, though, was a small concert put on by The Hopefuls, a local band (formerly known as The Olympic Hopefuls). With an awesome sound slightly reminicent of Weezer, I think this band is going to go places. They've already gotten the attention of the National Olympic Committee, which is why they can no longer use the word "Olympic" in their name (it's been a federally-protected trademark since 1950). I thought it would be a good idea to go see them while I still can. It wouldn't surprise me if they start going national soon.