Another State Fair notch on the barrel and another notch in my belt!
This year's fair was a record breaker in the number of fair-goers
(over 1,790,000!!!) and, for me, the best weather possible (mid 70's
highs and cool mornings with no rain and only the occasional
gust!!!). It is also a record breaker for how little fried fair food
I ate! You might say I took it down a notch.
I was blessed with 5 stints at the MOU booth (similar but decidedly
different in look, smell, texture and experience from the MOO both -
merely a completely "U" away). I had 3 mornings (my favorite), a mid-
day and one evening stint. I love the mornings best when the 4Hers
are there - kid energy is so different from adult. I was there for
the record-breaking Tuesday when almost 130,000 folks showed up. I
was also there for the last day when a lot of the food was half-price
special and the many last day of the fair merchandise special were
offered. No, I didn't buy anything except a great t-shirt that has a
Peregrine falcon soaring on the front and says "Raptors Rule!" and the
back has the falcon standing on the ground with a lone feather in it's
mouth and it says "Everything else is just lunch". I have a special
relationship with Peregrines - another story.
The booth highlights for me this year were once again the people I
serve with - several with years of experience in the booth and several
with no booth experience at all; one a PhD teacher in ornithology and
one a very brave last second volunteer replacement; one a retiree who
is now a professional nature photographer and one that is still
looking for that perfect job; and only one that I have known for any
real amount of time. Each and everyone was perfect in their efforts
and blended in to make our booth a memorial experience for all that
ambled by or were called in by "human calls" from the booth. I was
honored to share space, information, knowledge and experience with all
of those volunteers. Thank you!
My context for being in the booth was simple - allow those whom I
encountered, even in a passing moment, to have a memorable experience
of MOU and birds. I chose to do this by focusing on the bird ink
stamps. Each day I would buy a full bucket of Sweet Martha's cookies
(about 4-5 dozen easily) and have them near me as I sat in the booth.
I would call out to anyone walking by, asking if they would like a
bird "tatoo". Given the energetic response the Wolf booth ink-stamp
animal-tracks got right next door to us, my offering was usually
accepted. When the fair-goers (usually kids) came up, I would then
ask them if they wanted to "Take the Test!" a give a challenging eye.
The test consisted of naming the birds on the stamps. I found that
most kids, and many adults for that matter, had never had the
experience of saying the words "Ruby-Throated Hummingbird" or "Black-
Capped Chickadee". They would win the test if they would ultimately
just say the words. Being up-close to a 4-year-old saying these words
for the first time was an awesome feeling. The prize for them was
then a cookie, hidden from view only by napkins. The prize for me was
watching their faces. Often entire families of kids would take the
test together and have a shared experience.
For adults, I would offer the state bird checklist and say something
or other and then ask if they liked pictures of birds. Who couldn't
say yes? I would then hand them the MOU brochure and guide them to
the web site address and tell them to go to the gallery section to see
amazing photos of all of these birds. Many eagerly accepted the
brochure saying it would be great to confirm what bird they thought
they saw in their yard with additional pictures.
I love this "boothing" experience and hours flew by. I learned and
confirmed my most firmly held beliefs once again - "Everyone has a
story to tell and are just waiting for someone to ask them about it
and listen" - and "No matter what the scowl on someone's face, it
always gives way to a smile when they hear someone asking how they are".
I even found out that a "mosquito hawk" can be a Common Nighthawk
instead of only dragonflies like I was always told in Oklahoma.
I believe that the booth is an opportunity to simply be available with
our passion for birds - to share our experience and listen to others.
I also believe that the booth provides a doorway of sorts to an
expansion of the universal love for birds for the ordinary passerby.
Perhaps only 10% of those we handed a brochure to will actually visit
the website. Perhaps only 10% of those will pursue additional
interest in MOU or Audobon or MRVAC and only 25% will actually join.
But as volunteers, we asked the question and gave them a choice to
something they might not have known existed - an opportunity to fan
the flames of birdwatching and the conservation of birds and habitat.
Then, given that there were over 1,790,000 possible people passing our
booth over 12 days, those "10%"s and "25%"s can be pretty high. I
would like us to create an expressed goal for new MOU members arising
out of the fair booth experience. Let's test this "manifesting our
reality" concept that is in our movies, on our TVs and in the news
lately. Let's set a goal and have some fun with it. Maybe even
create interactive bird games, displays, and other offerings for the
booth next year. (It was a little funny showing people the magazines
MOU offers with membership and have them dated 2002. Shudder.) Maybe
even handouts of the magazines as prizes or giveaways.
(BTW -The DNR lost an entire pallet of posters so our giveaways by the
3rd or 4th day were pretty limited to the brochure and checklist and
our charming personalities - and so the cookies.) No wonder so many
folks came by. Wouldn't it be a stitch to keep track of how many
folks dropped by?
As we toss a pebble into the still waters of the lake, we will never
know the impact or extent of the ripples. I am honored to be given
the opportunity, even is such a small way, to make a difference.
Please consider jumping next time an opportunity is offered. The
rewards are memorable.
Thomas Maiello
Angel Environmental Management, Inc.
Maple Grove, MN
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