Minnesota State Fair
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The Minnesota State Fair, marketed for generations as "The Great Minnesota Get-Together," is one of the largest state fairs in the United States. 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. At the fair, residents of the state and region come to be entertained, exhibit their best livestock, show off their own 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 from 2005.[1]
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[edit] History
Minnesota 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 Sioux Uprising. Scheduling issues between the fair and the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois caused the 1893 show to be cancelled. 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.
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 Colonel William S. King.
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 at the time. The fair first opened its doors there on September 7, 1885. The site was then 210 acres (0.8 km²), but it 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 first uttered, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Roosevelt became president just days later after William McKinley was assassinated.
[edit] Attractions
[edit] Livestock
A large portion of the Fairgrounds are occupied by the livestock barns, where many kinds of farm animals (including horses, cattle, swine, sheep, and various types of birds) are displayed. The animals and their owners take part in livestock shows to compete for Blue Ribbon awards. Most of the shows take place in The Coliseum, a large indoor arena on the fairgrounds.
[edit] 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 Pronto Pups 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 is hotdish on a stick, a variant of a classic (some would say the classic) staple of Minnesotan cuisine.
[edit] 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.
[edit] The Midway
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 such as the Ejection Seat, as well as numerous games of skill. Other similar attractions and not in The Midway include the log chute and the haunted house.
The Kidway is a similar area to The Midway, but the rides are oriented towards small children.
The most well-known ride outside of either the Kidway or Midway is the Giant Slide, on which fairgoers go down a large metal slide on burlap sacks.
[edit] 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 2004 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.[2]
[edit] The J.V. Bailey House
The J.V. Bailey house is a new usage of an old building on the fairgrounds. It was dedicated on Sunday August 27th, 2006. The J.V. Bailey House 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 the 1800s when the fairgrounds land was the Ramsey county poor farm.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ "State Fair turnout up", Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2006-09-05. Retrieved on 2006-09-09.
- ^ Cunningham, Greta. "State Fair Grandstand to get a facelift", Minnesota Public Radio, 2003-08-18. Retrieved on 2006-09-30.
