It is no secret that Minnesotans absolutely love their state’s fair.
Featuring an overwhelming amount of activities, events, exhibits, rides, galleries and vendors, this year’s fair continued its 165-year-long tradition of celebrating all things Minnesota. For twelve days, visitors flocked to the fairgrounds in St. Paul, eager to experience the sensory overload of the fair.
More than 175,000 people attended the last day of this year’s fair on Monday, which is over double the population of Duluth.
I was among those 175,000 who waited until the very last day to attend.
Entering the fairgrounds makes it feel as if you entered some sort of carnival-themed parallel universe.
The sheer scale of the festival made it difficult to navigate. At no point during my visit did I know where I was or where I was going.
Huge lines formed for nearly every vendor, booth, ride and showroom. Surprisingly, the bathroom lines were quite short, although that was most likely due to the post-apocalyptic appearance of the fair’s lavatories.
My personal hatred of waiting in lines led me to seek out the less talked about attractions at the state fair.
When I arrived, I walked into the first building I saw, which turned out to be the Miracle of Birth barn, sponsored by CHS. Dedicated to celebrating mammal and avian maternity, the barn housed sows, cows, ewes and chickens alongside educational displays about veterinary maternal care.
After reminiscing deeply about childbirth and motherhood, I exited the barn to search for fried foods where I stumbled upon a booth dedicated to Spam related food. A nearby group of people offered me their remaining Spam nuggets, which I happily accepted and subsequently devoured.
They tasted exactly like the name implies, fried nuggets of processed pork. The flavor and texture were much better than one would expect from deep-fried canned meat, but the taste was so strange I am still not sure whether I enjoyed them.
My hunger not yet satiated, I headed towards the aptly named “Food Building,” where I encountered more people waiting in line for junk food. Because of its log cabin facade and short lines, the Walleye On a Stick booth drew my attention.
Instead of their namesake, I ordered a walleye sandwich: two lightly fried walleye filets on a soft hoagie roll topped with lettuce and cheese. The fish itself was delicious, but the quality of toppings was terrible, especially considering the sandwich alone cost more than a meal at a fast food restaurant.
After conducting some important field reporting in the men’s restroom near the north entrance, I stumbled across a Labor Day parade traversing the fairgrounds. All kinds of organizations participated in the eclectic parade, including drumlines, roller derby teams and trade unions.
A never-ending clamor of conversations and live music eliminated any possibility of finding silence within a two-mile radius. The air smelled of sweat, funnel cake and, occasionally, marijuana, except for the barns where the stench of livestock and excrement overpowered any outside odors.
Apparently, the chaotic whimsy of the fair’s atmosphere made every single guest voraciously hungry, as gargantuan crowds formed around almost every single food vendor. The most popular vendors, like Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar and Peachey’s Baking Co. drew ridiculously long lines of attendees aching to try the offerings of the state fair staples.
Because dessert might as well be mandatory at the fair, I set out on a quest to find some sweet treats without hour-long queues.
Unfortunately, I missed the University of Minnesota’s dairy booth and ended up paying double what they charge for a milkshake at a nameless stand whose signs spelled “cone” with a K.
Disheartened from overpaying for what ended up being a pretty good milkshake, I set out to redeem myself with another dessert.
Fresh out of the fryer and dipped in cinnamon sugar, the donuts from Tiny Tim Donuts were among the only somewhat reasonably priced state fair fare. Future visitors should ignore Peachey’s line and instead go straight to Tiny Tim.
Despite the year-round hype about the unhealthy and overpriced food options, the real highlights of the festival were the galleries and exhibitions. The fair held many, each centered around showing the cultural diversity and artistic heritage of Minnesota.
A beautiful collection of paintings, photographs, sculptures and textiles by Minnesotan artists covered the walls and filled the halls of the gallery in the Fine Arts Center. The Creative Arts Building held a gallery consisting of themed display cases containing art from a variety of artists and mediums.
The Agriculture Horticulture Building contained a delightful crop art exhibit showcasing creative art made from seeds, corn and a plethora of materials found on farms. Crop art subjects ranged from politically charged portraits of Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Palestinian flags to images of Spongebob popsicles and Baby Yoda memes.
Despite the sensory overload that hits visitors as soon as they step through the gates, the Minnesota State Fair is an incredibly eclectic and fun celebration of the state’s rich history and traditions.