The Minnesota State Fair
is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It has been marketed for generations as "The Great Minnesota Get-Together.
" It may be the largest state fair in the United States in terms of average daily attendance, [1] though the State Fair of Texas runs twice as long and is the largest by annual attendance. [2] It is held at the state fairgrounds, adjoining the Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota. The site is in the suburb of Falcon Heights, Minnesota, adjacent to the state's capital city of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Residents of the state and region come to the fair to be entertained, exhibit their best livestock, show off their abilities in a variety of fields including art and cooking, learn about new products and services, and enjoy many different types of food—often on a stick. It typically runs for twelve days, running from late August into early September with the last day being Labor Day. In 2006, attendance was 1,680,579, up nearly 48,000, or 2.9% from 2005. [3] In 2007, attendance was 1,681,678.
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MINNESOTA STATE FAIR TICKETS
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History
Minnesota Territory first held a Territorial Fair in 1854, although the first Minnesota State Fair didn't occur until 1859, the year after statehood. Since then, the fair has run annually except for five different years. In 1861 and 1862, the fair was not held because of the
Civil War and the
Dakota War of 1862. Scheduling issues between the fair and the
World's Columbian Exposition in
Chicago,
Illinois caused the 1893 show to be canceled. The fair again closed because of war in 1945, as
fuel was in short supply. It was again closed in 1946 because of an outbreak of
polio.
[4]
In its early years during the 19th century, the fair was held in many different locations. Some were not far from the current site, but others were relatively far-flung, including years where it was held in
Rochester,
Owatonna, and
Winona. For a time in the 1870s, the
Twin Cities of
Minneapolis and St. Paul held competing fairs. Minneapolis, the younger city of the pair, eventually outdid its neighbor by staging the larger fair with the help of
William S. King.
[5]
In 1884, a
committee was put together by the
Minnesota State Agricultural Society to select a permanent site. One site that was considered was an area around
Minnehaha Falls, but the final site chosen was the
Ramsey County Poor Farm, the fair's current site. It was a politically-neutral site, being about halfway between Minneapolis and St. Paul. The fair first opened its doors there on
September 7,
1885. The site was then 210
acres (0.8 km²), but now stands at 320 acres (1.3 km²).
One of the first annual events to occur is the creation of a
sculpture made of
butter. Each year, a new
Princess Kay of the Milky Way is selected to promote Minnesota's
dairy industry. Part of the job involves posing for several hours in a walk-in, glass-walled refrigerator as a 90 pound (41 kg) block of butter is carved into a head with her likeness. Butter makers started sculpting their products at the fair as far back as 1898, although the head-sculpting tradition didn't begin until 1964.
The main entrance to the fair from Snelling Avenue heads onto a road named
Dan Patch Avenue for a
pacer horse who won every race he ran in from 1905 to 1909 when he was retired.
One of the most significant dates in the fair's history was
September 2,
1901 when then-
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was visiting and first uttered the famous phrase, "Speak softly and carry a
big stick." Roosevelt became
president just days later after
William McKinley was assassinated.
Attractions
Livestock departments
A large portion of the Fairgrounds are occupied by livestock barns, where various farm animals are displayed. The animals and their owners take part in livestock shows to compete for awards. Most of the shows take place in the coliseum, a large indoor arena on the fairgrounds. Open class livestock competitions are held in horses, beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, sheep, dairy goats,
llamas, poultry (chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigeons and rabbits), and stock
dogs.
[6] On
August 31 2007, a bull escaped from its handler charging several fairgoers before charging a fire hydrant reaching its demise. No people were seriously injured in the mishap.
[7]
Food
One of the primary attractions at the State Fair is the wide variety of foods to be had. Many foods at the fair are served "on a stick." Classic fair foods such as cotton candy are readily available. Many foods reflect Minnesota's agriculture; cheese curds, milk shakes, corn dogs, and FootLong Hot Dogs are popular favorites. Many foods at the fair are deep fried or come on a stick; from the classic corn dog to alligator-on-a-stick or deep-fried candy bars. New to the fair in 2006 was
hotdish on a stick, a variant of a classic staple of Minnesotan cuisine. In 2007 the new food was spaghetti on a stick. 2008's new food was chocolate covered
bacon on a stick, called "Pig Lickers".
Machinery Hill
Machinery Hill is a large area of the fairgrounds. For several decades, it held the largest annual display of
farm equipment in the world, with many companies showing off
tractors,
combines, and various attachments. However, modern displays generally focus on
cars, trucks,
lawn mowers, and recreational machines like
motorbikes. Farm implement dealers tend to direct their efforts to more targeted "farm shows," abandoning the State Fair to more urban or suburban types of exhibitors.
Shows
The State Fair is host to numerous shows, including concerts, comedy shows, product demonstrations, and the State Fair Talent Contest. The Grandstand is a large outdoor concert hall that also features 3 floors of interior exhibition space. It hosts the largest of the fairs concerts and until 2002 was also the site of
stock car races run on a small oval track. In 2003 the facility completed the first phase of a $35 million remodeling project that removed large sections of bleachers and increased seating capacity to 17,000.
[8]
Art
The fair displays an annual art exhibition that is the result of a juried competition of works of
fine art. Media include watercolor, oil, and acrylic paintings, photographs, sculptures, pastels, ceramics, glass, and textiles. Entrants must be living residents of the state. In 2006, 345 works were displayed from 2117 submitted pieces of art.
[9]
One unusual display at the fair consists of the entrants in the
crop art competition. The artwork must be made of plant matter (seeds, stems, flowers, fruit, etc.) suitable for growing in Minnesota.
[10] For decades the display was dominated by
Owatonna native
Lillian Colton (1912–2007), who created crop art portraits professionally,
[11] having effectively captured scores of celebrities such as
Ernest Hemingway,
Barbra Streisand,
Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Prince,
Princess Diana, and
Willie Nelson in her crop art. After winning nine purple ribbons, she stopped competing, but continued displaying her work at the fair.
[12]
Competitions galore cover dozens of categories in needlecraft, garment-making,
wood-working,
models, painting,
doll-making,
taxidermy,
stamp-collecting,
scrapbooking, baking,
food preservation, etc.
[13]
Milk run
The annual 5 km run begins on the fairgrounds, winds its way through the
Saint Paul campus of the
University of Minnesota (both in Falcon Heights) and the
Saint Anthony Park neighborhood, and ends back at the fairgrounds.
[14]
4-H
4-H [15] has a significant presence at the fair, both in their own building and in the livestock areas. Contests include herdsmanship,
showmanship, judging teams, public presentations, non-livestock exhibits, and county club exhibits. Livestock displays include
beef and
dairy cattle, dairy and market
goats,
poultry (
chickens,
ducks,
geese,
turkeys, and
pigeons),
rabbits,
sheep, and
swine.
[16]
Science
In recent years the science building has been housing the Eco Experience exhibit, which features activities and exhibits including the design and construction of an eco-friendly house, a
rain garden, exhibits addressing
climate change,
energy conservation,
renewable energy,
biodiesel fuel and vehicles, and
organic farming. The exhibit has received awards from the Western Fair Association, the International Associate of Fairs and Expositions, and the Minnesota Environmental Initiative.
[17]
Entertainment
Music
Every year there are many musical venues which have included performers such as
REO Speedwagon,
Def Leppard,
Styx,
Lynyrd Skynyrd. There are also many other free entertainment venues from local bands.
Rides
Permanent Rides
There are several rides that are permanent fixtures at the fair. The most popular of these is the Giant Slide, on which fairgoers ride down a large metal slide on burlap sacks. The Skyride is an aerial lift ride that carried fairgoers across the grounds in a gondola. The Space Tower is a
gyro tower that rotates as it lifts people over 300 feet in the air, giving spectacular views of the entire Minnapolis/St. Paul area. The
Haunted House, located on Judson Ave. is another favorite of fairgoers. Further down the block is a water raft ride. The log chute is another popular thrill ride. The fair's oldest ride, Ye Old Mill, is located near the food building. It is a tunnel of love style ride that caters to all ages.
Temporary Rides
The
Midway is a carnival-like setting that contains most of the rides at the State Fair. The attractions include several funhouses, roller coasters and other thrill rides as well as numerous games of skill.
Adventure Park is where the extreme thrill rides are located. This includes the Ejection Seat and other rides like it. It is located across the street from the Midway, but is not a part of it. Adventure park also shares this block with a
french fry stand, which is a crowd favorite.
Kidway is the carnival area on the fairgrounds geared toward children. Kidway is located between Dan Patch and Wright Avenues on the north end of the fairgrounds.
The J.V. Bailey House
The J.V. Bailey house is one of the oldest buildings on the fairgrounds. It was dedicated on Sunday
August 27,
2006 and is run by the State Fair Foundation. The building, located on Cosgrove street, was formerly the Greenhouse Superintendent's Quarters, which explains why it is connected to the greenhouses. It is a historic building, dating back to 1911.
[18]
Management
The Minnesota state fair is considered a quasi-state agency, under the direction of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society. The management of the fair is handled by the Board of managers. The state fair has not accepted any governmental funds since 1949. Revenue from the fair is reinvested into maintenance and the next year's fair.
The
Minnesota State Fair Foundation is an organization that works to improve and preserve historic state fair buildings. The foundation is a 501(c)3 organization, and also supports State Fair agricultural, scientific and educational programs. The foundation provided funding for the new Miracle of Birth center.
Attendance Records
| Day
| Attendance | Year
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| Thursday
| 109,643
| 1999
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| Friday
| 129,827
| 2004
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| Saturday
| 202,126
| 1998
|
| Sunday
| 209,969
| 1994
|
| Monday
| 143,998
| 1994
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| Tuesday
| 118,036
| 1993
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| Wednesday
| 128,966
| 2006
|
| Thursday
| 155,183
| 1995
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| Friday
| 179,052
| 2003
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| Saturday
| 225,249
| 1995
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| Sunday
| 215,761
| 1999
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| Monday (Labor Day)
| 160,209
| 2006
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Gallery