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This weekend is Labor Day.  A nice long weekend to end the inferno that has taken what summer should be and thrown it in the frying pan.  I love warm weather, but this summer has been ridiculous.  It has dried and withered most all of our lawns.  Lakes are incredibly low and we have watering bans and bonfire bans everywhere.  What does it have to do with Labor Day?  Most likely nothing - but it used to be looked at as when Fall would start to move in.  Fingers crossed.  Not begging for snow by any means, but some relief would be swell.

This weekend is the super-popular St.Bridget’s Block Party.  The party runs from 6-10pm in the parking lot of St. Bridgets.  There is a fantastic turkey dinner but the menu includes hot dogs, brats and burgers.  There is a beer tent as well.  Tons of things for kids to do as well as a great silent auction and a $5,000 cash raffle.  This year’s headliner is Boogie Wonderland, so wear your dancing shoes.

Speaking of Labor Day, this Sunday there is a neat way to enjoy the lakes with a Labor Day Weekend Rubber Duckie Paddle.    The event starts at Beach Park in Lindstrom with registration from 12:30-1:30pm.  

Once started, you will paddle and collect ten different duckies from various locations along the shores of North Lindstrom and Bull Lake. Prizes will be awarded  at 4pm at Beach Park.  There will be a $100 prize as well as a $50 second place prize and numerous gift cards being given away.  This is specifically for non-motorized watercraft such as kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, even row boats. Questions please call 651-402-5429.

My wife and I have an agreement.  Every two years I bite the bullet and agree to attend the state fair.  I know, I know, “The state fair is the greatest get-to-gether in the world.”  That may be true but you are also reading the column of a person who starts hyper-ventilating just looking at photos of the human soup that is the midway. So I prepped myself and we headed out on Saturday - yeah - that Saturday, the one that was that had the lowest, most comfortable temps in the history of the fair.  Low temps equals more people.. great.

We went with a couple and met another couple and spent almost nine hours there. Never once ventured into the midway AND had exactly no new foods.  There were lines a quarter mile long for cheesecake cheese curds and even longer for something called salted-caramel hard seltzer.  I don’t get it.  In the end, we did have a good time with a little help from the Leinenkugels tent.  I am just not cut out for crowds anymore. Call me crazy, but sitting around with friends at home puts a smile on my face more than a giant crowd with people blowing vape in my face.

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