Where have all the candidates gone?

Say there's a huge event that attracts Minnesotans from all over the state. There's free music, good albeit overpriced food and fireworks every night. Wouldn't you think this would be a great opportunity for candidates for statewide office to, at the very least, have a couple volunteers in t-shirts roaming the grounds?

My three-and-a-half year old son and I went to the Taste of Minnesota last Monday to see Soul Asylum. (Which he loved. He wanted to get "closer to the players," so we did. He lasted about 3 songs before he complained about the noise level, and in the end, he was more content to stand in the back and show off his dance moves.) We were there from about 5:30pm until after the fireworks, and didn't see a hint of political activity. I suppose that's opportune phone time, but geez, send a person through the crowd with stickers every couple hours. Klobuchar and Kennedy don't have that great of name ID yet, so every bit helps, right?

On the flip side, if it weren't for the experience of bringing my son to his first rock concert, I never would have gone. The Taste is loud, dirty and poorly laid out. Food is overpriced, the vendors suck, and with a few exceptions, the music leaves a lot to be desired (really, the only reason I'll ever go again). I miss the days when it was on the state Capitol grounds. I guess it's understandable why a campaign volunteer wouldn't want to be there, but it seems like a pretty easy way to get a little recognition.

We'll have to wait until the next big state event--the Fair--to see how well-organized the campaigns are.