We came, we saw, we ate cheese curds.
And while we were at it, we took a lot of photos, too. On the first Saturday of the Minnesota State Fair, the Star Tribune held its first Instameet — inviting local devotees of Instagram to meet up, hang out and snap photos together.
We partnered on the event with @Minnstameets, an Insta-loving group founded by Jill Emmer (@shineonyoucraydiamond) and Rita Farmer (@mamacita.rita). The pair have been hosting monthly meetups for less than a year but have already attracted a robust following.
"I still have friends who are not active on Instagram look at me quizzically when I tell them about Instameets: 'So, you're going to meet strangers from the Internet?!' " Farmer joked.
Trust us, it's not that awkward. On Saturday, about 90 dedicated #Minnstagrammers gathered behind the Star Tribune's booth near the grandstand to talk shop, meet new friends and set out on an evening of deep-fried 'gramming. Even more people contributed to the event's official hashtag: #TheGreatMinnesotaGramTogether (about 1,000 photos in all). Here are just a few of our favorites. See more Instagram at @startribune.
