Saturday, August 25, 2018
My next stop on the walking tour was Fairchild the Gopher.
The sign reads:
Fairchild the Gopher
Introduced 1966
Then: Fairchild has served as the State Fair mascot since 1966 when he was named in a statewide contest.
Now: Come see this friendly Minnesota gopher and his sidekick and nephew, Fairborne, in the daily fair parade.
According to the walking tour brochure:
"Then: With his pinstriped jacket, straw hat, and buck-toothed grin, Fairchild has served as the State Fair mascot since 1966, when he was named in a statewide contest. Fairchild's name pays tribute to Henry S. Fairchild, a prominent St. Paul citizen who lobbied for the fair's current location. During the fair's early years it traveled to various cities, and both Minneapolis and St. Paul vied to be chosen as the permanent home. In 1885, it was Fairchild who persuaded the battling burgs to choose a permanent site between the two - on 210 donated acres of the Ramsey County Poor Farm in Hamline, today's Falcon Heights."
"Now: This twenty-four-foot tall, fiberglass Fairchild sculpture depicts our favorite gopher dressed as a carnival barker. Other versions of Fairchild through the years can be seen at the History & Heritage Center in the West End Market. You too can spot Fairchild in the daily parade, accompanied by his sidekick and nephew, Fairborne, who was introduced to the fair in 1983."
Fairchild the Gopher
Introduced 1966
Then: Fairchild has served as the State Fair mascot since 1966 when he was named in a statewide contest.
Now: Come see this friendly Minnesota gopher and his sidekick and nephew, Fairborne, in the daily fair parade.
According to the walking tour brochure:
"Then: With his pinstriped jacket, straw hat, and buck-toothed grin, Fairchild has served as the State Fair mascot since 1966, when he was named in a statewide contest. Fairchild's name pays tribute to Henry S. Fairchild, a prominent St. Paul citizen who lobbied for the fair's current location. During the fair's early years it traveled to various cities, and both Minneapolis and St. Paul vied to be chosen as the permanent home. In 1885, it was Fairchild who persuaded the battling burgs to choose a permanent site between the two - on 210 donated acres of the Ramsey County Poor Farm in Hamline, today's Falcon Heights."
"Now: This twenty-four-foot tall, fiberglass Fairchild sculpture depicts our favorite gopher dressed as a carnival barker. Other versions of Fairchild through the years can be seen at the History & Heritage Center in the West End Market. You too can spot Fairchild in the daily parade, accompanied by his sidekick and nephew, Fairborne, who was introduced to the fair in 1983."
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