Still Afloat, After All These Years; Ye Old Mill is Fair Tradition That Can’t Be Swamped

Most things at the State Fair happen right in front of us. We see the pronto pup guys dip the battered wiener into the hot oil and watch him take it out. The taffy machine runs all day long in public view behind a window alongside the Food Building. Like a movie set, there are lots of facades where all the action takes place. As the young people say: WYSIWYG.

But there are some back-room places where fairgoers aren’t invited. The WCCO-TV booth has a trailer for the talent and a basement, with couches, where the non-talent (not to say they’re not talented, too) can hang out between shifts. The Strib booth has a storage area, piled high with boxes and Sid books. An avalanche of maps on a stick nearly did me in last year.

And at Ye Old Mill — behind the nostalgic entry area, where you hop aboard the red wooden boats amid the rushing water and giant paddle wheel — there’s a quarter acre of fenced-off, quiet land through which the watery tunnels meander. Here’s a picture of owner Marna Keenan in the back lot of the ride.

The Keenan family has operated the ride since 1913, when Grampa John built it as one of his many rides at amusement parks and fairs around the country. Now his grandson John — himself now a grandfather — runs it with wife Marna. Their four grown sons faithfully return to Minnesota each summer from their new homes around the country to help their folks run the ride and go with the flow.
more inside

The mill was hard hit by the Aug. 11 storm that ripped through the fairgrounds. The west end of its roof may still be showing up in back yards of Como Park area residents. But carpenters have filled the empty space between the rafters, and the ride never missed a beat.

When my posse took a ride on the ride, I snapped this photo,  only to have John Jr., sitting up in the captain’s water-traffic control chair, launch the boat before I could hop aboard. I waved a fond farewell.

I’m writing each of these items as I come across them at the fair, but I consider each to be part of a bigger whole. So you can follow along by reading all of my State Fair posts, click here