James Lileks is a Star Tribune columnist.
Consider this the Great Minnesota Quiz-Together! From the hallowed grounds of the Minnesota State Fair, we'll be serving up trivia on everything from state history and icons to movie moments and local sports. Play along online at startribune.com/factfrenzy and enter to win bragging rights and a fabulous Star Tribune prize package.
Welcome to Fact Frenzy! This round of Minnesota trivia is all about our prized state landmarks. (We promise there's only one question about a lake.)
Published August 27
The Minnesota State Fair may be canceled, but it lives on in our hearts ...and in this round of Fact Frenzy! How deep is your state fair love?
August 29
This round of Fact Frenzy, we challenge how well you know your Minnesota sports teams. Bring your A game, champ.
August 31
Minnesota stars of the screen and stage abound in this round of Fact Frenzy, the world's greatest trivia game. Time to show us what you know!
September 2
Hungry for trivia action? For this round of Fact Frenzy, we've got six questions about classic Minnesota cuisine to test your local food IQ.
September 4
Pop quiz! Do you know your state history? We'll be judge of that.
September 6
After four rounds of competition, you've chosen the champion from our grandstand final round of nine finalists:
Missing the Fair's unique crafts like carving a princess head out of butter or baking from scratch? We found instructors, including Sweet Martha herself, who can teach you to make Fair classics at home.
A State Fair master guides us through the sculpting process using a one-pound butter brick.
August 28
Missing your State Fair souvenirs? Make your own “Blue Ox, Blue Ribbon” keepsake with official Star Tribune felt ornamentalist, Jennifer Brooks.
September 1
No, she won't share the secret recipe, but she does have tips and tricks for making warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies.
September 3
State Fair seed art champion Jill Moe offers a beginner's guide to making your crop art masterpiece.
September 5
Star Tribune beer expert Michael Agnew leads a sudsy virtual tasting of some of summer and fall's best brews.
If it's State Fair time, it's still summer beer season. We chose six to sample, and we hope you'll drink along and make your own tasting notes.
Fall calls for heartier beers with fuller body. Experience these six selections, curated by the Star Tribune cicerone.
James Lileks walks the now-empty fairgrounds to remind us how its traditions live in the buildings and on the grounds themselves.
Seed art, beer and winning crops show up here in a normal year, but this year isn't normal.
Mustering militias and Souza marches are just a sliver of what these grounds have seen.
August 30
Its skeevy past included rigged games and whoopie shows.
During the fair, it bustles above with musical acts and below with retail.
A peek behind the scenes, including the barracks.
When the Fair's epicenter for food is packed with people, you never notice this funny feature.
September 7
The Americana queen plays a special set drawing on her new album "Good Souls Better Angels," which echoes our troubled era.
Aside from its continuing racial problems, "Minneapolis is a beautiful city," says the North Side-bred funk-rocker.
He can rock madly or be cuddly sweet, as his set for our Mini-Grandstand demonstrates.
The "Prairie Home" favorite and WCCO talk-show host won the fair's talent contest 40 years ago with her family group the Steeles.
But while fiery fretwork has raised his national profile, the hyperprolific Twin Cities musician has nurtured a quieter, acoustic side.
After releasing their 11th album to widespread praise, the band kicked back in their studio for a set of other people's tunes.
He's played here nearly every year for two-decades-plus. But this year, we get him virtually.
The Congolese guitar player and his American partner make music for dancers and families alike.
His solo set for our Mini-Grandstand series precedes the band's first new record in nearly two decades.
Road hounds for nearly a decade, the harmonizing brothers have gone months without playing live.
A riveting presence, she just made City Pages' Best Of issue with her album "Death Before Mourning."
The Cuban-born jazz great was on a heart-lung machine for days, but survived his 2½-week ordeal in intensive care.
Nature is a theme for the Twin Cities singer, who looks for opportunities to "stop, slow down and reset."
Perkins and David met 15 years ago on the local bar-band circuit. But they’ve performed together only once before.
When State Fair nostalgia strikes, immerse yourself in these short 360-degree videos that capture the feel of being at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. Click and drag your cursor on the video screen to look around.
No Fair, no food? No way! We tracked down where to find the best deep-fried, on-a-stick, flavorful Fair food across the cities, from trucks and stands to grocery store aisles.
Some of the best food on the fairgrounds is available elsewhere, either in carbon copy form or as a close facsimile.
These local restaurants, bakeries and food trucks with outposts at the fair are the places to get fair-style food this summer.
State Fair beers are unlike any others. Find out for yourself, though not at the fairgrounds.
If you’re missing your favorite fair foods, we’ve got a backup plan.
Get your corn dogs and cheese curds in a parking lot.
These foods would fit right in at the Minnesota State Fair.
Groceries and other stores are helping you bring a taste of the Fair home.
Even without the Dairy Building, there's no shortage of cool treats for these dog days of summer.
Missing Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar, the state fair’s top-grossing food vendor? Here are 10 Twin Cities chocolate chip cookies that just might satisfy your fairgrounds cookie craving.
Sweet Martha’s cookies, Nordic Waffles, and more.
Showcase your love for the best 12 days of summer with our all-new State Fair items, including a brand new 24-page Fair Favorites Coloring Book, Fair shirts, in-stock and on-demand, and our new Cheese Curd flavored lip balm. Get yours now and celebrate the fair, even if you’re not there!
