Guest Post: Sheila's Fun with Festivals

I am currently buried under family members, food, festival, and fun, so some kind bloggers have graciously agreed to guest post here on eclectic / eccentric.

Today, the lovely Sheila of Book Journey shares stories of small town festivals with you.  We thought this would be a great post since the whole reason I'm MIA is my family reunion which takes place during my hometown's annual Glad Fest, short for Gladiolus Festival.

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Hi everyone!  I'm back to share with you a little taste of Minnesota and festivals.  Minnesota summers and fall are huge festival times.  I am not sure if it is like this in every state, but if Minnesota can come up with a way to celebrate - they will do it.  I being an adventure type girl love experiencing some of these events so thought I would share a little Minnesota with you today in the event you ever travel to my corner of the world. 

Minnesota celebrates the sunny days - and you can find bands and concerts of all sorts any weekend from June - September.  Craft fairs, Fisherman's Weekend events, Dragon Boat races.... you can find it in Minnesota.

One of my favorite Festivals is the Renaissance Festival.   If you have one of these in your home state you must take the time to attend.  The Renaissance Fair is like stepping back into another time period, as a book lover, I like that a lot!  The costumes, the talking, the shows... all a magical event.  My girlfriends and I try to get to the festival every other year and this is an on year so you know there will be pictures!

One festival I have always wanted to go to but have yet to make it is the Beanhole Days in Pequot Minnesota.  Apparently, as I am told, beans are placed in large kettles on a fire and buried under ground.  The festival is the rising of the beans (seriously, I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried!).  The beans are served by volunteers to the awaiting crowds. 

Now... not all festival type events are big.  A few of the ones that scream "small town fun" to me are the Turtle Races and Minnow Races, both of which you can experience in Nisswa, Minnesota.  Its amazing how the weekly summer turtle races draw in a crowd.  As for the minnow races, I experienced that first hand last year when my friend Adrienne and I biked into Nisswa and participated in this unusual event.  Participants get a straw and a minnow in a long narrow trough.  You use the straw to blow air into the water and make your little minnow cruise to the finish line.  Remember - it is a straw in minnow water.  Blow - don't suck.  I am just saying.

Driving home from a bridal shower last weekend I saw a sign that said Worm Races.  I am not really sure what that is about.


My husband grew up in Finland Minnesota and we now have a cabin in that area where we go as often as we can to just chill out.  Every summer I take my friends and we go to the cabin for the weekend and experience Silver Bay/Beaver Bay Days, which is a festival of small town proportion.  Street merchants, book sale, big weekend breakfast at the fire station and street dances.  It is a tradition that I have attended the past 4 years and we have a blast.  If we are feeling super energetic, the same weekend in Ely Minnesota is the annual Blueberry Festival.  This is a large arts and crafts fair and bake sale.  oddly last year when we attended we did not see one blueberry.  Not in a pie, a muffin, or even in a single berry form.  LOL

Ok, lets not forget the Pig Races of Leader, Minnesota.  I have experienced this once with my friends and it is definitely a small town experience but people come from all over to bet on these pigs every weekend. 

I could obviously go on and on about Minnesota festivals but I have highlighted here a few that I really think are awesome.  I would love to know what sort of festivals do you have where you live?  (You never know- I may need to road trip!)