The Minnesota fair reminds me more of the Erie County fair in NY than it does the Texas state fair, which I wrote about here: https://bymystride.substack.com/p/fairing-the-state-fair. And I have to admit, I think I liked the Erie county one better. Llamas??? My husband and I must visit MN!!
I've gone to a lot of Fairs through the years. The MN State Fair is a microcosm of the State. Efficiently run Scandinavian get-together. Everything runs like clockwork and genuinely a get-together for the whole state. A number of years ago we went and it seemed REALLY CROWDED. Went to a concert that evening to end the day. The next day they reported there were 220000+ souls there that day. The Texas State Fair sounds a blast also. Can't wait to read about it.
OK, the llama and alpaca fashion show is just great. They're fun animals to take for walks but I've never seen them dressed up before. Also the food. Some looked great, some just looked weird, like an experiment in how much fat, sugar and salt can be crammed on a stick.
I had something come up today so changed the day at the Fair -- most likely tomorrow. The fashion show needs to be added to next year's itinerary. The great thing is there is something special each day anyhow. The llamas and alpacas are at the Fair until Friday. The food booths are certainly a wide range of silly food. Something for everyone for sure. I like the animal barns and the contests for best whatever. It captures both city and rural. The 4H kids staying with their animals and taking care of them is tough to beat for me.
Llama fashion show?! Haha. I love this piece. It’s important to learn about cultures from other states in this great nation. Are people generally friendly at the fair?
The Fair is known as The Great Minnesota Get-Together. It is a throwback. No pushing. People are cool. I think the nonprofit nature lets them tightly control the vendors which keeps the quality good. Some of it corny but that's okay.
There was a profile of the grower who times the planting & harvesting of the sweet corn for the State Fair. The family farm provides 250,000 ears of non-GMO sweet corn for the 12 days of the Fair at a single booth. Unsold ears are given to a series of food shelves.
I'd go for the llama fashion show and also the seed art. Plus, I have a weakness for carnival food, which luckily I don't indulge often. I enjoy our Oregon state fair, but I must admit its been years since I've attended.
Thanks for commenting Charlotte. The image shown here is the official commemorative art for this year's Fair. 300 hours over six weeks. Amazing!!! https://www.mnstatefair.org/commemorative-art/ -- the seed and plant art always blows me away.
Mark, you definitely make me wish I was there--for the llama and alpaca contest alone! So glad your state fair is not giving in to healthy options that might "ruin the traditions of excess and everything on a stick." I believe that butter-carving competition is famous, as it should be. I can't even keep butter in a compact cube in my hot kitchen! My clicking of "Don't Miss It!!!" in your poll was a bit of wishful thinking. Thanks for giving us a preview. Can't wait for more updates from the fair!
What a nice note Ruth -- thank you. I saw some footage from the past alpaca stuff - 4H kids dressing up alpacas as Star Wars characters and the like. I grew up in NY state. Fairs were not my parent's scene but I always liked the vibe. After graduation wherever I lived I tried to go to the State Fair. When I first moved to MN I was flabbergasted. The scale of it is ridiculous. There are free Park-n-Rides all around the city. You can buy a roundtrip bus ticket (A/C & Internet) for $5 and it drops you at the gate The site is enormous and there is almost a cultist pride. I don't remember ever bothering to drive to the Fair. In those days they still had "Machinery Hill" and it was the largest farm implement display in the United States (probably the world). The combines seemed larger than 20 cars and you could climb the ladder! Parents hauling their kids 20-30 feet in the air to sit at the controls. It was crazy! They have repurposed that small part of the Fair as the machines have gotten so huge they don't travel anymore. Lots of silly traditions but fun once you embrace them. The crowds are hard to imagine. Last year on the Sat/Sun before Labor Day there were 470K people in attendance. Since the contestants for the butter carving are typically from Dairy Farms, those families keep the carved heads in cold storage for decades. Silly and fun.
My Something Else answer: I wish I could be there! The alpaca and llama fashion show looks amazing! I looked at the new food link and am awed by the sheer number of delicious looking options - it must be hard to choose! Have fun!
I just love the 4H stuff of which the fashion show is a great example. The great thing is even if you go consistently there is always something new to discover. I hope that one of these years to coordinate with a cousin in NY and make it to the NYS Fair in Syracuse and MN Fair in the same year. Seems possible and fun. They run about the same time of year and I think that would be fun. When we lived in CA we discovered they had 3 State Fairs!!! (Northern, Central & Southern)
I was a 4-H'er - I brought chickens to the Eastern States Exposition, usually cochins. It was always great fun. I LOVED looking at the monster pigs! There's a few fairs in NH, too, but I won't be able to go for a while. Fil doesn't travel well, and he's my responsibility. 😊 So I need to visit the fairs vicariously through you! No pressure, though. 😅
My time at Ecolab ruined birds for me. Good to hear a positive story. Don't know the specifics but there is "this time of year" story every year. The most enormous of pigs ends up at the Iowa State Fair -- certainly more than 3000 pounds -- a well equipped Honda Accord. I'll share what I can. Last year I caught a video of a little boy sleeping underneath his cow. Awesome 4H at its best!
Aug 28, 2023·edited Aug 28, 2023Liked by Mark Dolan
We did "show chickens." Mom raised them herself, from arranging the "marriages" to deciding who was show material and who wasn't. She didn't believe in culling the "rejects;" they were simply relegated to the chicken run to live a merry, outdoorsy life. The only chickens she killed for eating were the 44 4-H capons that my siblings and I raised from chicks (12 each - the biggest one of each group went back to the Grange and the families were allowed to keep the rest - the biggest capon of all earned a prize for the kid who reared it, and the Grange cooked up all the birds for an award dinner), along with the occasional thug rooster - I remember clearly the time that one fastened itself firmly to my kid brother's back and began to peck his head furiously - he was dinner that night (the rooster, not my brother! 😂).
I love the picture of the little boy all curled up with his cow hovering her head protectively over him.... great shot! Yes, you indeed caught the essence of 4-H in that photo!
Not having a rural background, moving here has been instructive. I LOVE your stories. That little boy was the highlight of the Fair last year for me and it was genuinely spontaneous! Your kid brother must be tough as I know a rooster is not to be trifled with. There is always so many choices with the food. Maybe one of the Church meatloaf dinners this year -- who knows!
America is counting on you this year to be our eyes and ears on the ground at the Minnesota State Fair Mark! That's a huge responsibility so keep reporting. I admit I was curious and I clicked on the butter carving links. So fun. Enjoy Duran Duran.
You are foisting a lot of responsibility on my shoulders Paul. While they don't do it anymore (the industry has shifted) when I first moved here the MN State Fair was the LARGEST FARM IMPLEMENT SHOW in the country for decades. Machinery Hill is in the past nowadays. I think there is a separate Farm Fest somewhere. I remember climbing up the ladder to a large combine -- it was like climbing a water tower. Because it is in the cities, all of the major networks TV and radio shift ALL OF THEIR SHOWS to the Fair. There are enough pros so no pressure for me.
Amongst my tennis foursome this morning I understand Keith Urban, Boyz to Men and Chaka Khan were good shows this last weekend. The Jonas Bros are sold out next weekend already at the Grandstand. There's always so much we miss.
The Minnesota fair reminds me more of the Erie County fair in NY than it does the Texas state fair, which I wrote about here: https://bymystride.substack.com/p/fairing-the-state-fair. And I have to admit, I think I liked the Erie county one better. Llamas??? My husband and I must visit MN!!
I've gone to a lot of Fairs through the years. The MN State Fair is a microcosm of the State. Efficiently run Scandinavian get-together. Everything runs like clockwork and genuinely a get-together for the whole state. A number of years ago we went and it seemed REALLY CROWDED. Went to a concert that evening to end the day. The next day they reported there were 220000+ souls there that day. The Texas State Fair sounds a blast also. Can't wait to read about it.
OK, the llama and alpaca fashion show is just great. They're fun animals to take for walks but I've never seen them dressed up before. Also the food. Some looked great, some just looked weird, like an experiment in how much fat, sugar and salt can be crammed on a stick.
I had something come up today so changed the day at the Fair -- most likely tomorrow. The fashion show needs to be added to next year's itinerary. The great thing is there is something special each day anyhow. The llamas and alpacas are at the Fair until Friday. The food booths are certainly a wide range of silly food. Something for everyone for sure. I like the animal barns and the contests for best whatever. It captures both city and rural. The 4H kids staying with their animals and taking care of them is tough to beat for me.
Llama fashion show?! Haha. I love this piece. It’s important to learn about cultures from other states in this great nation. Are people generally friendly at the fair?
The Fair is known as The Great Minnesota Get-Together. It is a throwback. No pushing. People are cool. I think the nonprofit nature lets them tightly control the vendors which keeps the quality good. Some of it corny but that's okay.
Corny is always okay. 😉
There was a profile of the grower who times the planting & harvesting of the sweet corn for the State Fair. The family farm provides 250,000 ears of non-GMO sweet corn for the 12 days of the Fair at a single booth. Unsold ears are given to a series of food shelves.
I'd go for the llama fashion show and also the seed art. Plus, I have a weakness for carnival food, which luckily I don't indulge often. I enjoy our Oregon state fair, but I must admit its been years since I've attended.
Thanks for commenting Charlotte. The image shown here is the official commemorative art for this year's Fair. 300 hours over six weeks. Amazing!!! https://www.mnstatefair.org/commemorative-art/ -- the seed and plant art always blows me away.
That is freaking amazing! Really impressive.
The work is precision. I am amazed every year when I look at it.
Mark, you definitely make me wish I was there--for the llama and alpaca contest alone! So glad your state fair is not giving in to healthy options that might "ruin the traditions of excess and everything on a stick." I believe that butter-carving competition is famous, as it should be. I can't even keep butter in a compact cube in my hot kitchen! My clicking of "Don't Miss It!!!" in your poll was a bit of wishful thinking. Thanks for giving us a preview. Can't wait for more updates from the fair!
What a nice note Ruth -- thank you. I saw some footage from the past alpaca stuff - 4H kids dressing up alpacas as Star Wars characters and the like. I grew up in NY state. Fairs were not my parent's scene but I always liked the vibe. After graduation wherever I lived I tried to go to the State Fair. When I first moved to MN I was flabbergasted. The scale of it is ridiculous. There are free Park-n-Rides all around the city. You can buy a roundtrip bus ticket (A/C & Internet) for $5 and it drops you at the gate The site is enormous and there is almost a cultist pride. I don't remember ever bothering to drive to the Fair. In those days they still had "Machinery Hill" and it was the largest farm implement display in the United States (probably the world). The combines seemed larger than 20 cars and you could climb the ladder! Parents hauling their kids 20-30 feet in the air to sit at the controls. It was crazy! They have repurposed that small part of the Fair as the machines have gotten so huge they don't travel anymore. Lots of silly traditions but fun once you embrace them. The crowds are hard to imagine. Last year on the Sat/Sun before Labor Day there were 470K people in attendance. Since the contestants for the butter carving are typically from Dairy Farms, those families keep the carved heads in cold storage for decades. Silly and fun.
My Something Else answer: I wish I could be there! The alpaca and llama fashion show looks amazing! I looked at the new food link and am awed by the sheer number of delicious looking options - it must be hard to choose! Have fun!
I just love the 4H stuff of which the fashion show is a great example. The great thing is even if you go consistently there is always something new to discover. I hope that one of these years to coordinate with a cousin in NY and make it to the NYS Fair in Syracuse and MN Fair in the same year. Seems possible and fun. They run about the same time of year and I think that would be fun. When we lived in CA we discovered they had 3 State Fairs!!! (Northern, Central & Southern)
I was a 4-H'er - I brought chickens to the Eastern States Exposition, usually cochins. It was always great fun. I LOVED looking at the monster pigs! There's a few fairs in NH, too, but I won't be able to go for a while. Fil doesn't travel well, and he's my responsibility. 😊 So I need to visit the fairs vicariously through you! No pressure, though. 😅
My time at Ecolab ruined birds for me. Good to hear a positive story. Don't know the specifics but there is "this time of year" story every year. The most enormous of pigs ends up at the Iowa State Fair -- certainly more than 3000 pounds -- a well equipped Honda Accord. I'll share what I can. Last year I caught a video of a little boy sleeping underneath his cow. Awesome 4H at its best!
We did "show chickens." Mom raised them herself, from arranging the "marriages" to deciding who was show material and who wasn't. She didn't believe in culling the "rejects;" they were simply relegated to the chicken run to live a merry, outdoorsy life. The only chickens she killed for eating were the 44 4-H capons that my siblings and I raised from chicks (12 each - the biggest one of each group went back to the Grange and the families were allowed to keep the rest - the biggest capon of all earned a prize for the kid who reared it, and the Grange cooked up all the birds for an award dinner), along with the occasional thug rooster - I remember clearly the time that one fastened itself firmly to my kid brother's back and began to peck his head furiously - he was dinner that night (the rooster, not my brother! 😂).
I love the picture of the little boy all curled up with his cow hovering her head protectively over him.... great shot! Yes, you indeed caught the essence of 4-H in that photo!
Not having a rural background, moving here has been instructive. I LOVE your stories. That little boy was the highlight of the Fair last year for me and it was genuinely spontaneous! Your kid brother must be tough as I know a rooster is not to be trifled with. There is always so many choices with the food. Maybe one of the Church meatloaf dinners this year -- who knows!
America is counting on you this year to be our eyes and ears on the ground at the Minnesota State Fair Mark! That's a huge responsibility so keep reporting. I admit I was curious and I clicked on the butter carving links. So fun. Enjoy Duran Duran.
You are foisting a lot of responsibility on my shoulders Paul. While they don't do it anymore (the industry has shifted) when I first moved here the MN State Fair was the LARGEST FARM IMPLEMENT SHOW in the country for decades. Machinery Hill is in the past nowadays. I think there is a separate Farm Fest somewhere. I remember climbing up the ladder to a large combine -- it was like climbing a water tower. Because it is in the cities, all of the major networks TV and radio shift ALL OF THEIR SHOWS to the Fair. There are enough pros so no pressure for me.
Amongst my tennis foursome this morning I understand Keith Urban, Boyz to Men and Chaka Khan were good shows this last weekend. The Jonas Bros are sold out next weekend already at the Grandstand. There's always so much we miss.