Yay! The State Fair! Two weeks of
Tractors,
Livestock Judging,
concerts,
cheese curds, and whichever
deep-fried food on a
stick is 'in' this year (be it
walleye,
candy bars , or your normal
nitrate-sicle). The MSF, and all of the crazyness that comes with it begins August 23rd and ends on Labor Day. The Minnesota State Fair has been held every year since
1859, with only 5
exceptions: in 1861 and 1862 due to the
Civil War and Dakota Indian Conflict, in 1893 because of scheduling conflicts with the World’s Columbian
Exposition in Chicago, in 1945 due to war-time fuel shortages, and in 1946 due to a
polio epidemic. Originally started to promote agriculture in the new state of
Minnesota (statehood in
1858), The Fair is now a lot more
suburban and
modern including the Wonders of Technology
building, although there are events and exhibits that
hearken back to
the old days, such as the various judging competitions eg. livestock, food, and fine arts. The Fairgrounds are located between the cities of
Minneapolis and
Saint Paul at the corner of
Snelling and
Como Avenues.
The Fair has the nickname as 'The Great Minnesota Get-Together' and it lives up to it. This year (2001), the Fair had its all-time attendance record broken, with a total of 1,762,976(that's about one sixth of the population of the whole state!). Advance tickets this year cost $5, with an at gate price of $7 for adults. The gates open at 6 A.M. and close at midnight.
Acts that played the Fair this year included Ringo Starr & his All Starr Band, David Lee Roth, Cheap Trick, Huey Lewis & the News, Aaron Carter and 3 Doors Down.
This information comes to you courtesy of the MSF web page at http://www.mnstatefair.org