A Fair Day in Farmington

Every year I look forward to sitting on the hard bleachers at the Dakota County Fairgrounds, watching cars smash into each other. Yesterday the beautiful weather was accompanied by the rumbling sounds of detuned V8s at the demo derby. The spray of coolant, the clang of metal and the flash of the bright sun on a torn bumper all came together to make a magical Sunday afternoon. Dubbed "Motorhead Day" by the fair board, Sunday featured a classic car show in addition to the afternoon pick-up and salvage yard derby. The scents of burning rubber and oil smoke mingled with the deep-fried aroma of corn dogs. If you've never been to the demolition derby, you might not know that there are several heats, where cars or trucks smash into each other in a huge muddy pit until only three are running. If a driver's car is not moving for more than 10 seconds, then she has to break the flag attached to her window, and she is out of the derby. The winners of the heats compete in a championship round. A new feature of this year's derby was a raffle for a chance to drive the Viking Auto Salvage car in the salvage yard heat. The salvage yard heat is a special round just for cars sponsored by local junkyards. I've personally shopped at four of the auto parts recyclers sponsoring cars in yesterday's derby, Viking, U-Pull-R-Parts, AAA, and Ace. Nicky Moore of Burnsville won the chance to drive the Viking Auto Salvage car, number 29. The salvage yard heat was long, with a couple of cars that appeared indestructible. Nicky's car died several times, and each time it seemed she might have to break her flag. The crowd was hushed with anticipation as she tried to restart the car, and cheering as the engine roared to life. She tied for second place. The applause of the crowd was deafening as she climbed out of car 29 and raised her arms in the air in a triumphant show of victory. The cotton candy never tasted sweeter than under yesterday's clear blue sky. The wonderful weather combined with an outstanding show at the demo derby, combined to make it truly a Fair day in Farmington.