Just Plain Big: Minnesota State Fair 1988

Flashless? (Click to view.)

Length: 12:51

Nineteen years ago, Christa Dahlstrom--a college sophomore and Minnesota native--rented a VHS camcorder and brought it and two friends (Ted Johnson and Brian Glenn) to the Minnesota State Fair. Back at school she spent weeks learning the dorm's linear video editing system, with the help of her film-major boyfriend (i.e. me), and cutting together this irreverent and loving overview.

Food-on-a-stick, Ye Old Mill, beauty queen butter sculptures, tractors, and bull semen.

We're now married, Christa and I, and we're about to head back to MN to visit the family. This year with luck I'll get to attend a day of the fair (after all this time I've still never been). In anticipation I finally digitized this classic from our younger days. The tape has degraded quite a bit, so I have done a tiny bit of cleanup, and removed a couple of minutes entirely (not that would be missed).

But looking back at this now, I am reminded that she has always been funnier than me, and a better filmmaker. Secretly I'm hoping this will encourage her to make movies again.

Oh, and this one's © all rights reserved.