Talk Radio On A Stick

Today marks the opening of the 2005 Minnesota State Fair. Saturday marks the opening broadcast of The Northern Alliance Radio Network from the Fair. Two weekends, four shows, twelve hours of sometimes intelligent radio.

The schedule for Saturday includes a return appearance at 1pm by Mark Stutrud, founder of Summit Brewing Company. Mark will be talking about the latest Summit news and brews, answering questions on everything you ever wanted to know about beer but were afraid to ask, and handing out a prize or two to audience members able to answer trivia questions on beer.

In the third hour, we'll be joined by St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly. But the real excitement will center around the 1st Annual NARN Scotch Egg eating contest. Originally, Saint Paul thought it would be funny to have five or six human contestants compete against one of the prize hogs from the animal barns. Unfortunately, all the best pigs have a strict no compete clause in their contracts with WCCO, so we were unable to land one. But we have something even better.

Our own JB Doubtless will make a rare appearance at the Fair to participate in the Scotch Egg eating contest. You may recall that JB set the standard for Scotch Egg feeding with his sweaty feats of gluttony at the 2003 Fair. He's tan, rested, and ready to take on all challengers.

If you feel like you're man (or woman) enough to compete against JB, drop me a line at rightwinger23@hotmail.com and we'll reserve a spot at the trough table for you. The winner will receive some fabulous Patriot swag and, more importantly, Scotch Egg bragging rights for a whole year.

On Sunday, James Lileks will dropping by the booth to offer his observations on the sights, sounds, and smells of the Great Minnesota Get Together. Such as:

Ever gone to the fair alone? I have. There's always a day with friends and your family, yes. But when you work at the fair -- be it a hog slopper in the barns, a vendor in the food booths, a radio yammerer, a media figure standing for an hour with a wan smile -- you get used to experiencing the fair alone. It's a different thing. No kids to mind; no spouse to drag, no date to impress. You can do whatever you want and look all you like. You're invisible. Don't worry about what anyone might think; they'll assume you peeled off from the rest of your party to visit the Stinky Barn Quadrants, or they'll just think you're some friendless loser. Who cares?

The AM1280 booth a.k.a. The Patriot Plantation is located on Judson Ave close to the International Bazaar. You can find a map of the Fairgrounds here.

UPDATE: Check out Plastic Hallway for the best in "behind the scenes" Fair coverage as well as eating recommendations from a guy who knows a thing or two about Fair food.