Great Minnesota Get Together

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The greatest State Fair in the world! Did you know the Minnesota State Fair is called “Great Minnesota Get Together”? While Texas’s State Fair draws more visitors, it runs for 24 days and draws 2.25 million visitors. In contrast, the Great Minnesota Get Together runs for 12 days and attended by 2.1 million visitors. The MN State Fair draws a higher daily attendance. While the historical focus continues to celebrate the states agricultural background, many other attractions have been added.

Great Minnesota Get Together
Specialty food – Deep Fried Candy bars

While the state fair focuses on agriculture, for many visitors, it’s the food! And a lot of different kinds of food. For example, there are 300 food vendors in 2019. And twice that number clamoring to get in. However, some vendors locate in two or more locations which gives the visitor nearly 500 places to eat. Additionally, here is a link to the new foods introduced in 2019. Of course, I succumbed to the one above. By the way, here is a link to another post about food in the Twin Cities.

Deep Fried Snicker Bar

And that, my friends, is a deep-fried Snicker bar! This outrageous snack proved to be messy and delicious. Overall, the foods overwhelm some visitors because you don’t know what to try next!

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State Fair food on a stick

State Fair

Another example of food on a stick. So, amazing creations stuck on a stick go on and on! And below is another example. If you visit here, you could learn how to make every meal on a stick! Wouldn’t your family like that?

Great Minnesota Get Together

In any case, makes you wonder what will be next? Seems like nearly every food goes on a stick. Have you heard enough about food on a stick yet?

And more items served on a stick. Last, many examples exist at the fair so above are a few more. So, you may think food dominates the fair, and it does! For many people, food drives their attendance! In any case, the Great Minnesota Get Together is something that should be on your bucket list!

More attractions

Of course, it isn’t a fair without a midway for the kids’ rides.






Midway again, Ferris wheel, carny booths, people all over.






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State Fair

Of course, we need a roller coaster. Lots more rides, but you get the idea. Rides are rides and carnival games are carnival games. Pictures could go on and on but you get the idea.

Conservation and ecology

State Fair

An entire building dedicated to the ecosystems of the state. Here is a set of pictures about Lake Superior, a large attraction in the northeastern part of Minnesota. Lake Superior dwarfs the other Great Lakes in the volume of water. The lake holds the equivalent of all the other great lakes plus two additional Lake Erie’s thrown in.

As mentioned above, the lake is very large. By surface area, the lake becomes the largest freshwater lake in the world. And the lake is cold. Below a couple of hundred feet, the temperature remains about 40 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. For example, during summer surface temperatures in bays may reach 70 degrees but that is rare.

State Fair

Demonstrating climate change and its impact on lakes in Minnesota. The display is ice melting as an illustration of warming.

Agriculture background of the state fair

State Fair
The MN State Fair includes many entries for animal judging. Much of this revolves around 4 H and FFA which began years ago as a farm kids organization. Today, 4 H caters to everyone interested, urban, suburban, or rural.

Of course, 4-H has a pledge like many organizations
I pledge my HEAD to clearer thinking,
my HEART to greater loyalty,
my HANDS to larger service,
and my HEALTH to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my world.


FFA stands for Future Farmers of America. In many cases, FFA is an extracurricular organization in junior high (middle school?) and high school.

As shown above, agriculture is still a large part of the fair. In brief, animal displays and judging include cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs. The animals are kept at the fair for the full run of the fair.

State Fair

For those of you with no knowledge of farming, this is a statue of a Holstein cow. Holsteins are a popular breed of cow since they provide a higher volume of milk than other cows.

And this one is a Hereford bull. Herefords are beef cattle, making steak for us carnivores!

More food at the State Fair

I thought this had a location on Route 66 as well, but the founder just liked Route 66! Here is a link to one of my posts about Route 66. Great variety at the Great Minnesota Get Together!

Another dessert – Banana and chocolate crepe!

Not only food but a sense of humor? Just think how much weight you would gain if you went every day and indulged!




A Minnesota Story

Dan Patch, a harness racing horse, a pacer, started in Indiana and made his first race start in 1900. After his amazing speed, a New Yorker purchased him in early 1902 for a near-record $20,000. Dan Patch became known as the fastest pacer in the world. At one point, he set a record that would stand for 30 years. In December of 1902, Marion Savage of Minnesota purchased the horse for an astounding $60,000. Dan Patch continued to race until 1909 when he retired, never having lost since his first race in 1900. The entrance road to the State Fair is named Dan Patch Avenue.

State fair entertainment

The state fair attracts well-known entertainers to the nightly grandstand show. In 2019, as typical, a mixed genre of performers appeared: Hottie & the Blowfish, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Lionel Ritchie, Trace Adkins & Clint Black, Tommy James and the Shondells, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. And several others. So, how’s that for a mixture! Always great entertainment at the Great Minnesota Get Together.

…and that’s a wrap!

Great Minnesota Get Together
What more can I say? End of a great day at the fair!
Gotta end with food!

And an introductory post on Everything Twin Cities.

Classic Rock Recollection

“Crimson and Clover” by Tommy James and the Shondells
Oh
Now I don’t hardly know her
But I think I could love her
Crimson and clover
Ah
I wish she’d come walking over
Now I’ve been waiting to show her
Crimson and clover
Over and over

Written by: Tommy James, Peter Lucia


Since they appeared at the fair….. (and clover can be a cattle feed!)

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