The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

Photographer Debra Fisher Goldstein has made a habit of having fun behind the lens at our state fair.  If you didn't get enough of the best state fair in the state, be sure to check out her daily slide shows with brief commentary. All fall under the title, Beyond the Schtick of the Stick. Feel free to comment or add your own images.

PERFORMANCE
A Prairie Home Companion

What is it about Sven Sundgaard?

Yesterday, I went to the State Fair with my dad, who is my all-time favorite person to go to the Fair with. Going to the Fair with my dad is like going to Vegas with Paul Rudd's character in the movie Knocked Up. Except, instead of ingesting hallucinogens and risking pinkeye, we ingest epic quantities of fried food, and beer, and risk death by Midway.

Day two at the Fair had me excited because I brought my husband, Jason, along. For years, he's been listening to me say things like:

"If we were at the State Fair, you could get that Snickers deep-fried."
"I own a collapsable rake."
"I mean think about it. Nearly ninety-pounds of butter shaped like our daughter's head. I know we don't have kids yet, but it's never too soon to just look at a hobby farm. At least give her the option to one day be crowned a princess."

I got a hot tip recently - a sighting of a pasta making machine at Italiani's Family Restaurant Grill & Bar, 3508 E. Lake Street. That's pretty rare these days - making pasta by hand is very labor intensive.

*Read about Day Two here.

*Then read about Day Three here. 

The Rake's own local Olympian. A true athlete dedicated to her calling. A hometown hero back at it again. Special oh-so-brave correspondent Kathryn Savage will be making her rounds at the Minnesota State Fair. Graciously offering to spend more man-hours in attendance than you'd ever want to, our gal-on-the-scene is primed to try just about anything.