Although Minnesota has a long list of faults, one thing it can still do well is host a fabulous state fair. We have a longstanding tradition of going to the Minnesota State Fair on the very last day, Labor Day.
The upside is it’s typically not as crowded because most people have already gone and tend to spend that weekend out of town and/or up north at their cabins. The downside is the vendors can begin to run out of anything at any time.
Admission to the fair, overall, was down this year. I would guess the economy and rising prices for everything had a lot to do with this. It's now $20 per person to go through the gate, parking runs from $30-$40, and most food items are $10 and above. I could see a family of four, easily, spending $300 for a day at the fair.
I'm a firm believer that nostalgia will continue to draw crowds people to this fair, no matter what they charge. Much like Disney theme parks, a trip to the Minnesota State Fair is like revisiting your youth. Except for a handful of new food vendors each year not much changes—and that's a good thing.
Yesterday was a cooler, partly cloudy day which worked out perfectly for us. The attendance yesterday was about a light as I've seen it in my 31 years of living here but there was still plenty of prime people-watching.
I don't know if your state fair is this way but the star of the show at ours is undoubtedly the food. I have a handful of things that I have to get every year and one of them is the sweetcorn.
This year the corn was especially sweet, almost like candy.
In addition to this we tried—walleye cakes, corndogs, fried pickles, mini donuts, a ham sandwich on a donut bun, a Mediterranean platter filled with hummus, tabbouleh, falahel, and pita chips, and a few over-the-top deserts.
I was delighted to find a little touch of home (Ohio). This food vendor sells a deep fried version of Ohio's official state candy, the buckeye.
We also took a break from the afternoon sun to check out some of the vendors in the grandstand. One of my favorites is a Ukrainian vendor who makes nesting dolls. They're handmade and I usually pick one up every few years as a Christmas gift for my Mom.
This year's selction didn't disappoint. I found my Mom a little Christmas tree complete with Santa and a snowman inside.
This Labor Day trip to the fair is bittersweet as it's the unofficial last day of summer for us. We can have a few more warm weeks but it's usually a very quick transition into autumn from here.
As we made our way out of the gate and back to our car we also bid what was a very hot/dry summer a silent goodbye.
All for now. Make this a wonderful day.
