Animals at the Minnesota State Fair

Okay, I know most people go to the fair to ride rides and eat food. And I definitely consumed my fair share of fried cheese curds. However, the best part of the day was checking out the animals. Particularly the baby ones. I’m not exactly a hard-core animal lover, but come on, how can you not love these little guys? The ten pigs were born at the fair the day we were there. We watched mama pig go into labor in the morning and returned a few hours later to check out her offspring. Prego-animals of all types give birth for oohhing and awing crowds in the “Miracle of Life” barn. In case you can’t get close enough to the action, a big TV shows instant replays of all the gory details. Although all the newbies were pretty cute, the lambs were definitely my favorites. They brought back some memories… Twenty-something years ago my family was taking a walk along a country road near my parents friends’ home in Mt. Vernon, WA. We stopped to check out a sheep and her new babies when my dad suddenly hopped the fence and barged into the barn. Wielding a stick to keep the mom away, Dad whipped off his coat and soon had a lamb nestled in his arms.Apparently the mother sheep had been stepping on her baby with the intent of rejecting it. Nice, huh? Dad was playing the part of Child Protective Services by removing the lamb from its dysfunctional family situation.Farmer Dad made some calls and we were soon bottle feeding “Lambchops” and getting him settled with his new foster parents. Despite protests from my then-two-year-old brother and me, Lambchops didn’t get to live in our house in the suburbs but had to stay with my parent’s friends (shout out to Rick and Rutheia! Thanks you guys!)Lambchops did get to go to preschool with me, as a nifty show-and-tell item. I still remember my mom chasing him around the neighborhood, trying to wrangle him into the back of the Datsun. Lambchops unfortunately lived a short life, as he consumed a poisonous plant a few months later and died. At least that’s the story I was given as a child. My dad really likes rack of lamb, so I remain suspicious.If you want to see baby farm animals for yourself, I recommend you check out a state fair. If you want to steal one from your neighbor, you are on your own. My dad appears to be in animal-rescue-retirement. The Minnesota State Fair is in St. Paul each year. It takes place during the last weeks in August until Labor Day.