From the editor: Come visit with us at the fair

Ah, who doesn't love a day at the county fair? All those adorable farm animals, bumping into old friends and distant family members, yummy fair food, carnival rides and games and all kinds of adventures at the racing track ... what more could a person desire?

As a bonus attraction, you also can visit your favorite Pine Knot personalities at the fair this year. Yep. We'll be in the Centennial Building at booth No. 50, near the middle of the building, along with various other organizations and businesses that call Carlton County home. We share our booth space with the County Seat Theater - they're friends and partners of our hometown newspaper - so make sure you stop by and at least register for our joint gift basket offering a free newspaper subscription and tickets to a County Seat performance of your choice.

But we'd love to chat, too.

If you'd like to talk to Francy Chammings about her farm series this summer, stop by the PKN booth Sunday afternoon between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Or find sports writer Kerry Rodd Saturday afternoon at the same time. For double trouble, Mothy Groves and Steve Korby will be manning the booth 1-4 p.m. Friday. I have a feeling conversations with those two will be both funny and meaningful, and should probably be preserved for posterity. Maybe I'll ask Steve to turn his recorder on.

Parnell Thill will be manning the booth Friday evening starting at 7 p.m. Hopefully he'll bring some copies of his book to sell while conversing with old friends and subscribers who have read his "Notes from the Small Pond" column in the paper for decades. (Yes, I found one in a previous incarnation of the Pine Knot just the other day.) Elaine Osborne, featured in last week's issue, may bring some of her books as well.

Pine Knot publisher and Harry's Gang columnist Pete Radosevich promised to be there Sunday 2-4 p.m., and he may show up at other random times, he likes going to the fair that much (and he has three charming and well-spoken children who also like the fair). Other Pine Knot and County Seat supporters - Joel Soukkala, Linda Erickson and Sheryl Hernandez - have also promised to lend a hand, taking subscription orders, writing down story ideas or other suggestions, or just talking about life.

I'll be there Saturday evening 5-7 p.m. and again Sunday 6-8 p.m. PKN sales manager Ivan Hohnstadt will be there 4-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday evening: feel free to ask him about advertising in the only locally owned and operated newspaper in the county. He's also the guy in charge of the West End Flourish celebration on Sept. 25 and he's looking for participants and fun ideas for celebrating the most historic part of Cloquet and all that Carlton County has to offer.

The Pine Knot will cover the fair outside of the Centennial building as well - look for Dave Harwig and me with cameras in hand, capturing the moments. We will bring the story and the images to readers near and far who can't get to this year's fair, for whatever reason.

Which brings me back to the fair. It's been a long couple of years. Most of the activities are outdoors. I hope lots of people will head to Barnum this weekend, with or without masks, for some old-fashioned fun.

See you at the fair.

Jana Peterson wears many hats as editor of the Pine Knot News. Contact her at [email protected] or 218-213-1231.