Today’s Vidcast: the Most Extreme Fun You Can Possibly Have At the Fair. Just my luck: the day I decide to do the Fair in the evening instead of the daytime, just for variety’s sake, a bull goes rogue, runs a block and brains himself on a fire hydrant. Poor guy. In any case I hope this is non-partisan enough; that was the intention. You can’t cover the Fair without covering this particular aspect. It’s my least favorite part of the event, frankly. I have as much interest in these places as the water-purifying booths.
I should note that technical problems on the camera side led to the loss of some interviews, and that really put a huge dent in the production. Such as it is. I’m beginning to suspect that an $80 camcorder might not be the ultra-dependable item I thought it would be.
I hit the Fair at six tonight, grabbed a Chicago Dog, followed it with some fries from Mike’s. That’s the cheap stand. The fries are $1.75, and you don’t get nine potatoes in a bucket. They go limp fast – but if you only want a few fries, not a feedbag, they fill the bill. I spent the evening shooting the Fair at twilight for an upcoming vidcast, and I have to thank everyone who paused or ducked when they saw the camera. It’s really quite kind, the epitome of Minnesota Nice. They might wonder why the heck this dork is taking pictures of the souvenir stand, but they defer.
I’ll tell you why I took pictures: because the signs said NO PICTURES. Some stands elaborate: they have these ugly purple pimp-hats for sale, and the sign says NO PICTURES WITH HATS. That I can understand. You want to look like Huggy Bear, you should pay. But some stands just forbid taking pictures of the merch, which is ridiculous. It’s a public place.
Isn’t it?
After all these days at the Fair, the night felt different – not the same place. Of course, it isn’t the same place. It’s ruder and rougher and drunker and louder. There’s a shift change around seven – the families start to head for the exits, and the teens pour in, mixing with the adults in Powdermilk Biscuit T-shirts who’ve come to see Keillor at the Grandstand. The bus home at nine is full of people who usually go to bed at ten; the people who get on the bus are the ones whose days are just getting rolling. But that’s another vidcast.
All in all: another perfect day. I’ll be around Saturday afternoon – hope to see you at the Official Buzz.mn Porch. Bring a tripod, if you have a spare.
Lucky thing you caught video
Lucky thing you caught video of Ronald McDonald viciously beating that young lad. Hope you turned it over to the local authorities.