2019 MN State Fair - Visit #3

Fran goes solo and covers the Fair in 8 hours and 16,000 steps!

The Tuesday of the Fair is traditionally the least crowded day (NO line for tickets!), so it seemed like a great day to plan my annual solo visit to the Fair! This is when I arrive early, wander the Fairgrounds, and do and eat all the random things that we don’t otherwise have time for or the rest of the family isn’t interested in. Read on for a few more off-the-beaten-path ideas of things to do at the Fair, plus some more new (and old) food reviews!

Things were pretty mellow, even the carousel horses were just resting for now.

I started the morning with a classic Fair breakfast, at French Meadow with their cinnamon scone and cream cheese topping.

Then I wandered over to Anchor Coffee Bar to get a mini donut latte. The line was long, but I had this monument to the women of Minnesota which I’d never noticed before to ponder while waiting…

Finally my latte was ready! This is getting lots of press this year, and it was defnitely fun, but if you’re serious about the actual coffee in your coffee drinks like I am, this is a one-time gimmick. I’m sure you’re shocked to hear that it was really, really sweet. Don’t regret it, but don’t need to do it again either. This is a made-for-Instagram Fair novelty.

I then climbed up the DNR tower to the viewing deck 65’ above the Fair to see the sights from above. Looks like some early birds over on the Giant Slide!

Hi down there at the DNR fish pond!

I wandered across the street to the Poultry Barn in time to watch the judging. Not sure what he’s looking for, but he’s sure taking it seriously!

…which is hard to do when this is what you’re looking at! I did overhear a judge explaining some of the process. Turns out poultry judging standards were written in 1870! And also, personality counts, apparently - he said he watches what they do in the cage and how they interact with him.

Ducking out the back of the poultry barn, I always like seeing Steichen’s. It’s a grocery store tucked back in an alley that caters to the staff and farm hands that take up residence at the Fairgrounds, and has anything you might need if you left something behind. They also have a deli inside, for cheaper eats off the beaten path.

A closer look into the DNR pond, which is stocked full of native Minnesota species. Hello paddlefish! I was there to hear a fish pond talk, but the DNR stood me up and never arrived for it! Boo.

I wandered over to the Agriculture Bldg next. I always like to go through the Christmas Tree wing to smell all the trees, even if it is a reminder that summer is almost over and winter will be here before we know it!

I found a talk on night gardens by a U of M Extension master gardener. I listened in for a bit and learned that night gardens are gardens that are designed to either reflect moonlight or be fragrant at night. Got some ideas for plantings around the new patio we’re getting!

Today was Military Appreciation Day at the Fair and I wanted to make sure to catch the flag raising ceremony. Ended up being in a great spot for it!

There was even a flyover of jets and a cargo plane.

Ok, time for mid-morning snack. Today was the last day for Hot Indian at the Midtown Global Market booth so I wanted to make sure I tried their Kentikka Fried Chicken Sliders (which apparently were here in the past when Hot Indian was here, but I missed it). They were awesome! Just pleasantly warm and spicy chicken tikka style sliders, with crunchy and fresh topping, and a sweet bun. Really liked these (again, Hot Indian can do no wrong). If I’d change anything it’d be to make this slightly less bun-heavy, but that’s nitpicking. Unfortunately, you can’t get them any more!

Wandering back out of the Int’l Bazaar and past the Leinie’s Lodge stage again, I had my “is that what I think it is?” find of the day! So, the flag raising was followed by a military band concert, which is exactly wnat you think it would be - patriotic songs, service branch anthems, etc… at least, that’s what it was when I left. But when I returned - they were doing Led Zeppelin covers, and doing it well! The vet-dominated crowd loved it too - one older vet just spontaneously yelled “rock and roll!!” This is the kind of 10am-on-a-Tuesday-at-the-Fair gold I love to stumble on.

Well, now my day is complete! I ran into Fairborne the Fair mascot (along with Fairchild) and got a selfie! It’s all gravy from here, folks!

Ok, next I ducked into the Creative Activities Bldg for a bit because one of my favorite restaurants in town (Popol Vuh / Centro) was in the demonstration kitchen today. This hour they were going deep on their cocktail program, talking about the process for creating their herb simple syrups for their agave-based drinks. We recently were there and had one of those drinks, complete with worm salt, which is exactly what it sounds like!

I wandered next door to the Education Building where I ran into my state senator Melissa Franzen (no pictures, she was busy so I played it cool ;-) and then one more building to catch the 4-H musical. This was really fun, the kids were super into it. These are kids from 4-H chapters all over the state that do an intensive theater camp right before the Fair to create this musical. They did a great job!

Next I hit one of my favorite buildings, the Eco Experience. I tried to listen in on this presentation on the Sustainability Stage, but it should have been called the Doom and Gloom Stage because it was all about how humans are turning the planet into a feedlot for their insatiable consumption. Dude, I know this is important, but I’m trying to have fun at the Fair here, sprinkle in some hopeful messages every few slides!

Luckily, the Water Bar is back again to distract me with another water flight tasting. This year I liked Duluth water best.

Got more ideas for what to plant in the yard in the Eco building, too!

Hi Paul!

This year the Fair debuted the reworked North End. They added a big Event Center building, and some vendors behind the Hangar. The North End has traditionally been the least exciting part of the Fairgrounds, so I wanted to do some exploring.

The Event Center was hosting an exhibit on the art and science of Angry Birds. I was skeptical, but it was actually pretty well done, museum style exhibits.

Lots of fun things for the kids to interact with. So I guess this space will have a different theme each year, looking forward to seeing what they do with it and if it helps revitalize the North End (their last attempt - The Hangar - felt cheap and rushed. It’s still there, and seems a little better this year but still unremarkable.)

I then explored the North End tent shopping - tiny compared to West End, but a few good vendors, plus Brim for food and coffee. I really enjoyed the Handsome Cycles booth (which has - you guessed it - really handsome, and surprisingly affordable, custon build bicycles). But the real gem of the North End for me was this exhibit by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (yes, I really know how to party!)

I’ve always been a flight simulator and aviation fan, so this was a fun discovery. They had some virtual reality headsets with video from the EAA airshow, some Microsoft Flight Simulator stations (I got the highest score of the day!), and this, an actual ATC approach training system. I got to put the headset on and route the simulated planes. “Echo-Charlie-Two-Niner-Zero, turn right Heading One-One-Zero and decend to Three Thousand Feet” and the planes would respond to my voice. The booth was staffed by actual controllers too so we had a fascinating chat about their job.

A fun crowd shot as I wandered back south (aka back to the land of better food options).

I grew hungrier, realizing I was well into the afternoon and past lunch time! Also, the sky was threatening, so to kill two birds with one stone I headed for safe haven in the Food Building. I waited out the rain delay with a One. Bad. Dog. from Sausage Sister and Me. I raved about this when it first came out and it’s still really good - and spicy! Luckily, I also had a Kirby Pucker from the Ball Park Cafe to cool my mouth. This is a new beer this year that’s fermented with tea and lemon zest as a sort of nod to an Arnie Palmer. You can definitely taste all of those elements, and it’s sneaky good!

After the rain cleared I rounded out lunch with a Lemonade Apple from the Produce Exchange. New this year and all the way from New Zealand. If you like tart apples like I do, you’ll like this a lot. A nice way to feel a little healthy at the Fair!

There’s a smaller arena in the back of the animal area (Compeer Arena) that’s often overlooked. I stopped in for a cattle-cutting competition. I had never heard of this, but it turns out this is a huge sport in horse circles and there’s a lot of prize money on the line. The goal is for the horse to separate a cow from a herd and keep it from returning (in real farm life they need to do this if a cow needs medical attention for example). So the horse wades into the herd, separates out the one they’re after, and then it’s basically a battle of wills as the cow tries to get around the horse and the horse tries to keep it from doing so. It’s fast-paced and back and forth and pretty fun!

After that, I found myself in a traffic jam in the Swine Barn. The guy on the right almost took me out!

On the other hand, these alpacas were way too chill to be bothered by me sticking a camera in their faces!

I was heading for the exits finally, but I had to take care of a few Fair classics on the way. First, the lip balm flavor of the year from the Star-Tribune booth.

Next, another roasted corn. This time I opted for a well-done one after seeing lots of people doing that last time. Fun to mix it up, but going back to the regular ones next time!

And last, Katie and I always try to peek in to the Twin Cities Live broadcast if we’re at the Fair on a weekday afternoon. There’s Steve and Elizabeth!

Ok, I lied, I wasn’t done. On the way out I realized I hadn’t had any dessert yet! So in a moment of gluttony I detoured to LuLu’s in the West End to grab a warm cheesecake tart. This one has gotten mixed reviews in the media. I didn’t think I was going to like it as much as I did - it was lighter than I expected it to be, and the crust was super good. I say get it!

There was a decent concert on the Schell stage nearby, so I settled in for a few Johnny Cash inspired songs while I ate.

I grabbed a Sociable Cider Honey Bee Lavender Honey Mead while I listened. It was decent and easy to drink, but definitely floral so you have to like that sort of thing. Skippable.

And finally, 8+ hours and 16,000+ steps later, my annual solo visit is a wrap! No spoilers, but I definitely uncovered some strong contenders for the end-of-Fair awards today!

I’ve now logged 26 hours at the Fair and there’s a looonnnng list of things I still want to do and see. Katie and l will be back Friday with a friend, and probably one more time after that as well.