He's all grown up now, and not any worse off because of it, but as a youngster my son Aaron was lost at the Steele County Fair for a short time. I don't believe he thought he was lost, but I didn't know where he was and that was a problem. But first, I had to set up the equipment for the on-air hog call contest by the Aurora Diner. Then I had to help engineer the show. All the while, I made a quick run around the area searching for Aaron. No panic yet.

His sister had one job, keep an eye on her younger brother. But she had brought a couple of friends to the fair that day, so she was a bit distracted. So the 5-year-old boy went missing. It was near the animal barn and he loves animals so I figured he hadn't ventured far. But in the back of a parent's mind in those instances you have to worry about the impossible. I tried not to think along those lines.

As the on-air responsibility wrapped up, the search intensified. Sure enough, Aaron was walking around looking at animals. He didn't know he was lost.

If you will have young children at the fair, you should take the advice of Sheriff Lon Thiele, who joined Loren Hart and Todd Hale on a recent "Fair Talk" broadcast. And probably enlist help rather than do what I did.

I also have a story of losing my daughter at the mall, as she was hiding from me while my family was preparing a surprise for my 40th birthday and she was instructed to kill time. I'll elaborate on that one another time.

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