Readers write about their best fair memories, from going with Grandpa to ‘what it means to be Minnesotan’

We asked readers to tell us their fondest State Fair memories, and they answered: pancakes with Grandpa, a first paycheck, kids leading the way, a “magical combination of tradition and novelty,” and so many family stories. What came through loud and clear is that “Minnesotans wear their love for the State Fair as a badge of honor.”

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

I was in 4-H in the ’70s and was able to spend three days at the fair, housed in the dormitory that is in the 4-H building. As a young rural teen, spending time alone in such a magical place was fabulous. The fair grounds became my home and I could find my way around like a pro. I would spend hours watching every demo and viewing every vendor’s wares. Even now, in my 60s, I will walk the grounds in my head when I get lonely for the fair. It is my happy place.

Across the nation, if one were to inquire as to a particular state’s premier social event, responses would include the following.

Minnesota’s premier social event is its annual celebration of the dorky State Fair, where, regardless of position in Minnesota public society (e.g., CEOs, politicians, clergy, athletes, and of course everyday people), people convene to relax and enjoy the closing days of summer.

In other words, Minnesotans wear their love for the State Fair as a badge of honor.

Also, I believe my numbers are accurate that the Minnesota State Fair is the nation’s second most attended state fair, with Texas being first. The caveat being, I believe the Texas State Fair takes place over several days over several weekends.

The Minnesota State Fair not only gave me my first real paycheck, but also countless experiences to reminisce with my family and friends about. My cousin and I screaming our lungs out on a spin machine, my dad and I searching for hours to find food vendors that would accept his coupons, and frantically purchasing a poncho as rain made a brief appearance in the August heat. The State Fair is truly an experience that no one can experience for you. Take the plunge and you’ll surely snort your milkshake out your nose with your friends, too.

I love our MN State Fair! I didn’t go until I had kids and wanted to take them to experience. Now they are older and I find that I’m still going even without them now. It’s a joy to partake in, to visit old favorites and find new ones. There’s something for everyone. I look forward to grandstand concert announcements, crop art, new foods/drinks, and spending a long but thrilling day with family.

Early memories of road trips from Fargo with my parents.

Now I live here and love it even more.

Deep-fried ranch on the grass, double-fisting sweet corn, Pronto Pups (footlong only), the journey of not spilling any curds, shoulder to shoulder for some cookies ...

Rural or urban — we all join for a collective Minnesotan stomach ache in the heat.

And it is glorious.

I have a love/hate relationship with the fair. It’s fun to go about once a decade to gorge on all the fried foods, enjoy real Hawaiian shaved ice, eat corn on the cob and Sweet Martha’s cookies, take a ride down the big yellow slide, wander around the 4-H buildings and admire the amazing student art and corn art, and see all the animals and people of all shapes and sizes. I tell my kids stories of when I was a girl showing horses in the coliseum. We sit down to watch a bunny or llama competition and visit the baby animals. It’s a fun-filled day, but I don’t love the overwhelming crowds, chasing kids who are constantly running in different directions, the cost (which adds up quick especially when kids want to try one of everything and spend all their tickets in less than 2 minutes in the midway) and the insane heat and humidity, which makes for a long day and fatigue for both parents and kids. The Minnesota State Fair celebrates the state’s culture, agriculture, history, community, but I’ll probably pass this year and go again in a few years when the kids are older.

Honestly, it baffles me why I not only tolerate the State Fair, but I actually love it! Normally, I hate crowds, especially in hot weather.

But the State Fair is different. I’ve gone at least once every year with my kids from when they were babies until they were old enough to start working at the fair.

As for the crowds, I was there with my kids on a record daily attendance day in 2018. In the center of the intersection of Cooper and Nelson, it became so crowded that no one could move! It was one of those “huh, now what do we do?” moments. But the beauty of it was that no one was mad! Everyone was stuck in place, but it seemed funny, not upsetting.

Maybe the secret of the fair is that no one is in a hurry. It shows us how things used to be before the world sped up so much.

I started going to the fair as an infant with my parents and it was always an annual tradition. My dad loved to take me through all the barns, walk through the rows of old tractors and threshing machines, and to make sure we got an apple cider freeze from the agriculture building. Since losing my dad 16 years ago, the fair continues to be an annual tradition and a way to remember him and all our special memories together each year at the Great Minnesota Get Together.

My grandpa. I haven’t missed a fair since I was born all because of him (I’m 25 now) — he buys each grandkid a ticket every year, and we make time to go. Last year was the first year he wasn’t able to make it, as he can no longer walk, but still gets us all to go on his behalf. We brought him his favorites (cookies & fries) to his memory care facility afterwards. Everyone says “no one loves the fair like me,” but they haven’t met my grandpa. Even with his memory fading, he thinks the fair is always right around the corner. We would go on the Skyride together and Ye Old Mill, watch the parade, and always have the family meeting spot at Leinie’s Lodge. Grandpa would park himself there, and we would all make sure to come back every so often to listen to the band, share food, and us granddaughters would dance with him (one of his favorites, the polka). I love the fair, and it’s all because of him — I think it is one way I will always feel close to him — thanks to Minnesota for that!

Where do I begin? Maybe at 4:30 a.m. when my Grandpa would come into the dark bedroom to wake us up with promises of warm pancakes once we arrived at Salem Lutheran Dining Hall, one of the only two remaining church stands on the grounds. Once there, we’d spend the day serving breakfast to loyal patrons. Pancakes, French toast, rhubarb pie, and egg coffee. Ask the locals. They’ll tell you all about it.

So many more memories … they don’t fit in 200 characters!

The State Fair has always been part of my life, I have been every year of my life and that’s almost 40 years. My love for the fair has evolved over the years; however, many of the traditions have remained steadfast, like visiting the Creative Activities building and appreciating all the knit items or the handmade canoe, visiting the fishpond over at the DNR building or sitting down at the Leinie Lodge to watch the Tonic Sol-fa show. Now when I go, I’ve started new traditions with my two boys — riding the Skyride (something I never did before) and previewing the new foods list while making a plan to try at least two new items. We document our visit each year by cramming into the vintage photo booth located in the penny arcade.

I never went as a kid, but in college, I interned for a TV station that had a booth there. I went nearly every day and have been hooked ever since. I love it because:

The people watching. The crop art. And the energy.

I love the state fair for too many reasons to name. My current favorite fair activity is talking to other people. All over the fair, at the booths, in the animal barns, in the buildings, there are folks who will tell you all about the industries they work in or the hobbies they are doing. I really enjoy learning about what other people are up to. Last year I talked to volunteer geologists at the DNR building about a dig site, a father whose daughter raised a cow for 4-H, a group of surveyors about what they can get done behind a desk versus in the field, some arborists about the only tree in my yard, and a bunch of other people. This year my goal is to talk to the arborists again and show them pictures of my tree. I also love the animals and the food and the vibes and being there with my friends. I’m so excited for the fair!

My husband and I are first-generation immigrants. Our two kids are born and raised in the Twin Cities. For us, the State Fair not only marks the end of the summer, but also creates a sense that we belong here. The “I cannot wait!” when the kids look at the digital map to plan out their day at the fair, the excitement when waiting in line to ride the cable car (and all the rides at midway and Kidway), the squeal when sliding down the big yellow slide, the pride when my daughter won a purple ribbon two years in a row for her color-pencil drawings, the awe of learning new things at the agriculture, education and UMN buildings, the joy of seeing all the animals large and small, and the satisfaction when biting into that corn on a cob. It is an annual ritual that showcases the best side of what it means to be Minnesotans.

It brings together Minnesota’s most impressive display of overweight men in long baggy cargo shorts sporting calf tattoos and flip-flops.