Fashions of the Fair: From comfy kilt to ‘Free Hugs’ tank

What to wear to the Fair, and why? Some thoughts, in words and photos.

Jordan Fields-Long, St. Paul. “The Fair is a big event, and I had to bring out what I call ‘swag’ to the Fair, that’s why I chose this shirt today. There’s always going to be negative people coming towards you, and you just have to ignore it and keep living your life positive.”

Jake Pittman, Hudson, and Derek Lund, Minneapolis. “Like the shirt says, we’re mascot security,” said Pittman. “We are here for your and others’ protection. Sometimes the Gophers have a little too much cotton candy and they get out of control and you have to step in and calm ’em down a bit. The Gophers do not like being called anything but gophers. They don’t like having their tails pulled, either.”

Julia and Isabella [no last name], St. Paul. “We love Dr. Who and this is my favorite dress and it’s easy to throw on,” said Isabella. “We’ve had a lot of compliments and a lot of people looking at us.”

David Alexander, Minneapolis (far left). “I’m wearing a NORML shirt; that’s the national organization for the reformation of marijuana laws, in part to help start a discussion about understanding marijuana. The United States government has used neologism to confuse the American public about what hemp is and lied about the most utilitarian plant in the world. It’s a great recreational substance, but this shirt and all the clothes that we’re wearing can all be made with hemp. So basically I’m wearing it to get people to think about it and end the prohibition.”

Brad Place, Glencoe. “I got this in Tombstone, Arizona, about a month ago and I had to have it. I love beer, and it’s something different that nobody else has.”

Salina Shooter, Twin Falls, Idaho. “I wore my ‘Free Hugs’ tank today because I just wanted to see how many people would hug me. We’ve been here an hour and I’ve gotten five hugs.”

Caron Mahn, Long Lake and Mark Will, Eden Prairie. “I’m the regional director of Complete Nutrition and we customize supplement programs to help people gain weight, lose weight, or just maintain a healthy lifestyle,” said Will. [The T-shirt is] ‘one hundred percent in.’ Health is something you shouldn’t straddle the fence on, you should be one hundred percent in, because life is just more enjoyable that way. My advice [for gluttonous Fair-goers]? Balance. We’re all human, were all gonna succumb to this, just keep some sort of control, restraint, drink plenty of water, and exercise afterwards and you’ll be good to go. Just don’t let it take over your life.”

Corey Siwek Sr., Minneapolis. “I wore this shirt because I’m Catholic, and only God can judge me. I wanted to wear it today to tell people that God is a good person and that he’s always looking out for you.”

R.J. Sauvageau, Isanti. “I am a Jesus Freak, and I’m proud of it, and I figure if people can walk around the Fair with the ‘F’ word and every other thing, then I can walk around representing Jesus. I’ve seen some people today who are probably Christians but are ashamed of it, and maybe they see my shirt and it encourages them to be a little bit more bold about their faith.”

James Masten and crew, Edina. “This is what I wear every day. The T-shirt is [the logo of] Anton Lavey, the father of modern Satanism. I’m not a Satanist, per se, but I like the message and I think it’s good to make people think. I’m pretty anti-religious and a lot of modern Satanism is anti-religion. I was raised as an evangelical Christian, and this is the complete opposite of “follow a lot of rules or else you’re going to perish and burn in hell forever.” Satanism’s message is ‘do your own thing and don’t hurt people.’”

Kelly Flanders, Minneapolis. “I’m with the Minnesota Honey Company, and I wear this when I volunteer every year here at the Minnesota Honey Producers booth, which sells honey from beekeepers from all over the state. There’s a real problem with bees and pollinators of all kinds right now. Bees pollinate so much of the food crop, and the fact that they’re having trouble all over the world is a big concern.”

Cassandra Cooper and Devin Finhold, St. Paul. “I’m more of like the goth-style and I need a lot of pockets and these pants have a lot of pockets.”

Stephen Katzenberger, Forest Lake. “Have you ever worn a kilt? It’s really comfy, because it lets you get breezes where shorts don’t let you get breezes, and I like that.”

Rachel, Ben, and Cassidy Scott, Coon Rapids. “Just about any chance I get I’ll wear a Grateful Dead shirt,” said Ben. “You know, you wear your normal clothes during the week and when you get a day off, you gotta show your colors – quite literally.”

Sam Nylund, Cloquet, sporting the only Kevin Love T-shirt spotted at the Fair. “He’s my favorite Timberwolf,” said Sam as he was having his picture taken. “We were at the game and he had his shirt autographed by Ricky Rubio and [Nikola Pekovic] and they were friendly, but Kevin Love walked right by us without a word and wouldn’t even stop,” said Mom. “Wave goodbye to Kevin, Sam, wave goodbye,” said Dad.