Lines and I have a checkered relationship.
When my baby sister was 14 and coming up to visit me for a week, I slept in line overnight to get Bon Jovi tickets. When I had to renew my drivers’ license (and had waited too late to get an appointment), I hit the AAA office at 6 a.m. to get one of the 75 walk-in slots. The office opened at 9; when I got there at 6, I wasn’t the first in line! You all know I’ve sat outside of Aldis in the past, in the cold for 3+ hours for the wine advent calendar.
But the lines at the State Fair stop me cold. I think I told the story about YA standing in the donut line last year; the donut concession has upgraded to a building (they were in an RV before) but the line still runs all the way down the street and looks to be at least an hour wait. Pickle Pizza has opened a second outlet which helps a bit but yesterday at noon, the main outlet had two massive lines, each going in opposite directions.
Last Saturday YA and went up to the Ag building first thing to see the crop art. We clearly weren’t the only folks who had this thought. We got there about 8:30 (exhibit opens at 9) and there was a considerable line. Then a staff person came out to re-direct where the line was forming. She said that the “come early” thought must have gone viral because the long lines had formed every morning so far; where we were standing was most likely going to be a 2-hour wait.
And then there are the Apple Fries. This is a new food at the fair this year and they’ve gotten good reviews, but the lines go down the street and around the corner. We’ve read on line that most folks are waiting over an hour to get them.
Not sure if I’ll see crop art this year. I’m betting money I won’t be getting Apple Fries either. YA has waited for donuts and Pickle Pizza, but not me. Even if I had a stadium chair (like when I waited at Aldis and AAA), I’m not sure I’d want to waste so much time of my State Fair day waiting in line! Hopefully some day in the future, the line for Apple Fries will be shorter!
Any good waiting in line stories?
Trail Baboon 
At the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey bus station in Manhattan, people from New York stand in line. People from New Jersey stand “on line.”
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We were at the State Fair yesterday. 2+ hour long lines for the crop art, fries, and donuts. Too much waiting – we wanted to see more of the Fair. Fortunately, the line at the Hmong corn dogs went fast – those were worth the short wait! 😋
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Maybe we passed you by and didn’t even know it!
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The good news is that, like last year, some of the crop art pieces will be available for viewing at MIA. That’s where we eventually got to see some crop art.
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My guess is that I’ll be seeing the crop art at MIA as well. Our last fair day will be Saturday and I’m guessing that lines will not have abated!
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Wow! This is crazy news.
May the lines to vote in November be as robust!
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Yes, indeed!
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December 7, 1979
Stood in the Fargo, North Dakota cold for 2 hours to be first in line for the opening of Star Trek: The Motion Picture. We had my Dad with us for the event. He wasn’t a big Star Trek fan but went along with our assurances that being a witness to history would be worth the time and effort.
About half an hour into the 2 1/2 hour “spectacular,” he was muttering “I stood in line two hours for this?!”
Hour 1 (A little louder): “I froze my ass off for this?!”
It would have been Trekkie apostasy for me to utter such words within the hearing of my fellow congregants but his critique was absolutely correct. The film is just a whole lot of standing around looking at stuff. Little action.
To this day, I have never watched Star Trek: The Motion Picture in its entirety. Just clips.
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I didn’t wait in a long line for STHMP but feel the same way about it. Have never seen it again. (And with that experience in mind, I almost didn’t go to Wrath of Khan… glad I didn’t stay away from that one!)
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Rise and Be Patient, Baboons,
I am not a patient line-waiter. My feet always hurt (I have a very high arch in my feet that leaves me vulnerable to foot pain and plantar faciaitis, which has just re-appeared in time for a walking vacation.). The longest lines I ever experienced were for Antiques Roadshow where I brought a portable stool, and at Heathrow Airport.
At the”Ask a Master Gardener” booth in the Horticulture building there was a “problem line.” This year the powers that be shepherded the pumpkin/vegetable display line right in front of our table. It was frequently so long that it obscured our tables and signs or blocked access to us. Also, small children in the liine are impatient and overactive. One of them broke the standing sign by knocking it down. The strange part of this issue is that we are the only organization that the State Fair Board formally invites to be a part of the fair because it is so requested and popular. They provide us free entry. In the past the line was routed outside, like the Crop Art Line. So the MG Rep in charge of all this is negotiating with the building manager about it.
When I talked with the MG Rep about the problem (because I was the Lead Gardener iin that shift) she said, “Thank you for not body checking the people in line.”
I said, “What? Why would I do that?”
She said, “Another MG did that creating a ruckus.”
Some people have no common sense, I guess.
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