The651.com

Can you smell it? Can you feel it? It is State Fair time y’all. Hey-Ho let’s go!

The Family Fair Stage at Baldwin Park offers daily kid friendly entertainment. The Monster Shop Bump n’ with The BC Characters (shows daily at 12:30, 4, and 6) is a hip-hop troupe that performs acrobatic dance and features life size Muppets-ish characters. Helicopter back spins and Fuzzy Wuzzy? Count me in. Also performing daily is Sean Emery (shows at 1:30 pm and 5pm), a juggling unicyclist who’s act is filled with the sort of shticky humor that makes kids giggle and squirm.

Probably the best attraction for a Citidiot (a City Idiot) like me is The Little Farm Hands exhibit, which is a crash course in agriculture for urban families. The hands-on exhibit provides a mock farm for children ages 3-12 to play in and experience real farm chores. There are animal barns, tractors, garden plots, apple orchard, and a grocery store for the kids to roll up their sleeves and get to it.

If you prefer your family entertainment a little spicier, head on over to the X Zone (located on Murphy Avenue and Underwood Street). 3rd Lair, the legendary Twin Cities skate park, hosts a whirling dervish of gnarly action. Skateboarders, in-line skaters, and BMX riders perform tricks daily (11am, 12:30, 2:30, 3:30, and 6:30). There is also a battle of the bands in the X Zone that will offer your little head banger a chance to burn off some of the sugar that surely will be running through the veins.

The North Woods (located just east of Little Farm Hands on Cooper) offers up daily activities that fill the deep-fried Fair air with sawdust and sweat. Take a break from stuffing your face and watch some grizzled dudes partake in some kick-ass timber events. These world class foresters cut, climb, grapple, and buzz saw through a whole course of wood splittin’ games.

Want more cowbell? Shenaniguns! is a Wild West comedy show that features some cowboy screw ball antics in a performance that is family friendly.

Adventure Park offers kids a wide array of activities that range from The Butterfly House, Carousel, spooky Haunted House, River Raft Ride, Sky ride, and the old stand-by, the Space Tower. Separate tickets need to be purchased for each and tickets can be bought near the entrance to the attraction.

And finally, there are the classics: The butter heads, the fattest pig, the giant slide, machinery hill, the Bazaar, the bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies, roasted corn, the Midway carnies, watching a sheep get shaved (Don’t laugh. I’m from the city. It’s amazing what those farm kids can do), and of course, people watching.