Nuri Ducassi, Star Tribune
Corn of plenty: Roasted corn dipped in butter and dusted with salt­ ­— it's a summer taste that makes you want to break out in song and dance (maybe the samba or the Floss). The Corn Roast at the State Fair plows through about 25 acres of corn a year, and brought in $822,000 in sales last year. If you're craving an ear, the farm that supplies truckloads of corn for the fair, Untiedt's Vegetable Farm, is selling its bounty at farmers markets around the metro area. Of course, corn isn't the only produce to command attention at the fair. Green beans, carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and the monster pumpkins and squash all take their turn beneath the judges' keen eyes. Here's hoping Nature is smiling on your backyard bounty this year.

Thursday Sept. 3

DIY Fair: No, Sweet Martha won't share her secret recipe, but she does have tips and tricks for making warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies. Bake your own and share your work on social media using #DIYstatefair 9:30 a.m.

Talent show: You've thinned the herd. The Amateur Talent Contest is in its final round of voting. Which of the finalists will you choose? Vote here. 10:30 a.m.

Grandstand/Dan Wilson and Cactus Blossoms: Another doubleheader! Wilson, the Grammy-winning singer/songwriter of "Closing Time" fame, whose band Semisonic is releasing its first new music in 19 years, starts at noon. Country-rock brothers-in-harmony Page Burkum and Jack Torrey take the virtual stage at 3 p.m.

Food Guide: Rick Nelson and Sharyn Jackson offer their wish list of future food options for the fair. Will State Fair officials be listening? We'll see next year.

Beer Garden: Our beer expert Michael Agnew, with food and drink writer Sharyn Jackson and music critic Chris Riemenschneider invite you to sip along with them as they walk viewers through a sudsy six-pack of local fall brews. Buy your beer in advance or simply watch to get a sense for what you'll like. 4 p.m.

Fair Minute: Counting columns and reminiscing about what happens at the Grandstand, from the empty fairgrounds with James Lileks. 2 p.m.