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But, most birthdays aren’t for a 150-year-old.
The Winona County Fair celebrates its sesquicentennial this year, and there is no shortage of celebration at the fairgrounds in St. Charles.
The fair first took place in 1858 at the Westfield Golf Course in Winona; it moved to its St. Charles location in 1910.
The fair will feature a nostalgic flair through a log cabin with workers in period costumes, memorabilia, photographs and a horse pull—something that, according to the fair’s public information officer Cindy Timm, goes back to fair’s roots.
“It’s been fun to look back,” Timm said. “There are a lot of neat stories and pictures.”
In her historical research, she discovered a fairgrounds wedding in 1889 and more recently, monkeys set loose by kids in 2004.
“There was a newspaper headline that said, ‘Bad Monkey,’ ” Timm said.
Any county business over 150 years old — and there are 151 of them — will be honored by the county recorder’s office Thursday night.
A fireworks display synchronized to music will be held tonight starting at dusk.
The fair officially kicks off at 6:30 p.m., tonight with a flag raising ceremony, and will continue through Sunday evening
Giant TV at fair
A 20-foot TV will be at the Winona County Fairgrounds today through Sunday in St. Charles, Minn.
The TV, known as “DTV Trekker,” is touring the country in an effort to educate consumers about the mandatory transition from analog to digital TV broadcasting, which is set to begin Feb. 17, 2009.
The DTV Trekker will appear from noon to 10 p.m. today through Saturday, and from noon until 8 p.m. Sunday.
For more information about the DTV transition, visit www.dtvanswers.com.
