Sights, Sounds,Smells And Starship

A few weeks ago, we spent a Friday evening at the Michigan State Fair. It is the oldest state fair in the country and sadly, after 161 years, this was it's last year. It's apparently not profitable enough for the state to continue running it.

We were a little hesitant to go at all because it's in Detroit. Even if you've never been to Detroit, I'm sure you know it's reputation for crime. A few years ago there was a shooting at the fair. We weren't entirely confident about our safety. As it turned out, we had no problems whatsoever. I did have to explain to my daughter what a prostitute is when we saw one on the way home, though.

We didn't spend much time on the midway and we didn't ride any of the rides or play any of the games. Instead, we spent most of our time touring the animal exhibits and walking around the 164 acre grounds.

The smell coming from all of the food stands was amazing, and there were so many of them.

The pigs seemed pretty relaxed despite the crowd of people passing through. There were more breeds than I ever knew existed, but this guy was my favorite.

Where else would you see a sign like this? I meant to get a picture of the "Milk A Real Cow For 50 Cents" sign, too, but we never got back that way. It was a bottomless cup, meaning that you could drink as many cups as you wanted to fill. It seemed a little strange to me, but I guess it's a good deal if you like unpasteurized milk (need I remind you what a germophobe I am?).

The horses were gorgeous. This is my son and Purple Hoodie Chick making friends with a big guy.

Our main purpose for going to the fair, though, was to go to a Starship concert. We got to the concert stage early and got to sit in the first row behind the reserved seating area. The warm-up band was a local group called Standing Room Only. I wasn't all that excited about sitting through their set, but they turned out to be really good. They played late 70's and early 80's rock. It was a beautiful night for an outdoor concert.

After a brief intermission, Starship took the stage. We go to see them every time (and I mean every time) they're in town. They always put on a great show, and it's just as much fun for the kids as it is for us. If you've never taken your kids to a concert, I highly recommend it. We told them before the concert started that were expected to sing, clap and dance because that's all part of what makes a Starship concert fun. If you leave without a hoarse voice and sore hands, you're doing something wrong!

Mickey Thomas, the lead singer, mentioned that he joined the band 30 years ago and his first song with them was "Jane". I can tell you, he sounds every bit as good as he did back then.

Mark Abrahamian, the guitarist, is fantastic. The solo he plays during "Fooled Around And Fell In Love" is amazing.

After the show, Mickey signed autographs outside of the concert area. He is undoubtedly the nicest guy in the music business. My daughter got to have a little conversation with him and she was thrilled. I also had the opportunity to get the answer to a question that I've always wondered about. I've always wanted to know what song he's performed the more than any other. I guessed it was "Jane", but it turns out to be "Fooled Around and Fell In Love". He was so gracious to take the time to answer my question. Thanks Mickey!

There was a petition circling around to save the Michigan State Fair. I hope they are successful. We had a wonderful time there and would not hesitate to go in the years to come.