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Saturday, August 31, 2024

Staycation Week: Twine Ball and Bowling

We took an adventure to the west on Friday.  It started with a stop at Moon Donuts in Buffalo.
Then we continured on to Darwin to see the Twine Ball!  I love this place, but the kids were not impressed.  The museum was also closed which bummed me out.
On our way back east we stopped at the park in Delano before heading to Medina Entertainment Center for bowling.  We signed up for "Kids Bowl Free" at the beginning of summer but never used it.  We had to pay for shoe rental, but then they got two free games.  We may have to use it more next year and buy some of our own bowling shoes.
The service was a little slow, but they stayed patient waiting for lunch to arrive.


It was a great way to spend the last day of vacation.

Friday, August 30, 2024

Beyond 100 Parks #134 - Barb King Inspiration Park - Delano, MN

We stopped at this park on our little Friday adventure today.  Landscape Structures is headquartered in Delano and they have a huge playground there.
Key Features
There were so many spinning things for Parker to play with.
And Esme found bars to flip on!
These standing spinners are a favorite of Parker.  He loves that both sides turn.  Esme was getting a little frustrated trying to figure it out, but she got there.
Easy 10 swings for this amazing playground!

Staycation Week: Minnesota State Fair

One of my favorite times of year is here!  We haven't gone to the fair with the kids since 2018.  Iw was looking like we'd have some great weather, but it was a little chilly at times in the morning.
It looked a little different than our solo trips.  This one focused on food and rides!
Cookie Butter Mini Donuts and Root Beer
Machinery Hill
The kidway opened at 9 and went on a few rides.  We had no wait at all!
Double Chocolate ice cream and Reuben Bites
Fraser is a local center that provided programming and support for autism and other disabilities.  They had a sensory space on the north side of the fairgrounds.  The back room had low lighting, swings, and a big bean bag.  The front section had a giant fidget spinner and other activities mounted on the wall.
Giant Slide
B=We cam across the Joy Mobile as well.  This is a van outfitted as a sensory friendly space.
The jambalaya was even approved by Esme!  The sausage was a little spicy, but she loved the rice.
One of my customers at work built this State Fair Foundation donor wall.  We laser cut the top sight and 6000 "tabs" that were powder coated and will be etched with donor names.
Sky Glider ride one and Gizmo Sandwich.  Parker was asking to go on the Sky Glider from the moment we arrived at the fair.  It's been ages since I have been on it and didn't realize it was a good 15 minute ride.
There we so. many. fans. Parker wanted to touch all of them.  Some vendors were more understanding than others, but we tried to redirect him as much as possible.  Esme approved of her hot dog!
The Great Big Wheel.  This was our first time riding the fair ferris wheel.  It gave great views of the fairgrounds all the way to downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Green Mill pizza for Parker!
Emse licked the french fry ketchup clean and was not too impressed with the butter sculptures.
This was the best deal of the fair, Fried Bee-Nana Pie. Honey, banana, and cookie butter sandwich battered and deep fried.
A few more rides and games in the big midway.
This roller coaster scared Esme a bit.  You can see the full ride in the video.
We finally go over to the see the cows, the one think I always have to do!
Sweet Heat Bacon Crunch and Cotton Candy as we rode the Sky Glider for a second time.
We burned the last of our ride tickets while Jimmy waited in line for...
COOKIES!
We made it 7 hours and it was a pretty perfect day for it.