Sunday, September 8th, 2024
Dale and I attended the the final Sunday of the Fair a week ago today. Turns out it set a daily attendance record. The previous record for the final Sunday was 245,243 set in 2019.
Next year's Fair is set for August 21 to September 1.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Our final stop was the Giant Sing Along.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Dale and I started getting tired around half past noon.
We started heading toward the north entrance but made a couple stops along the way.
The sunflower patch was one of 'em.
The honeybees were very attentive.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
After the Midway it was back to the Blue Moon for one of my Fair favorites, sweetcorn ice cream.
Back in 2012 the now defunct local rag, City Pages gave it its Best State Fair Food Award. Here's what they had to say about it: "Sure, the cheese curds are delightful, and there's always a healthy line for walleye on a stick, but it's the unusual pairings and unique concepts at the Minnesota State Fair that adventurous attendees get really excited about. Enter the sweet corn ice cream, a dish that blends a serving of veggies with your dessert. While this may sound like an odd duo, it's a satisfying alternative to the traditional fair gut busters. The cool treat manages to strike a pleasant balance between creamy and corny, with a healthy handful of corn nuts adding to the crunchy texture. If you want to go even more experimental, order it with the bacon maple syrup to emphasize the sweet and salty notes." Simply put it's just really yummy.
The episode of The Brady Bunch where Peter meets his double was playing in the theater.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Today, not so much.
However, today it brings back fond memories and is fun to look at day or night.
No rides for us but we had fun walking around.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
We needed to make a pit stop after lunch but the lines to the nearest restroom was long. We decided to check out the top level of The Grandstand and found a mostly unused one tucked in a corner.
There were some nice views from upper level.
We saw a pickleball challenge.
And it's fun watching the crowds although this area was not as congested as other spots of the fairgrounds.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
For lunch we made a stop at the Blue Moon Dine-In Theater.
Dale was jonesin' for the Burke Burger he had last time.
I got pepperoni pizza this time.
The movie playing in the theater was Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
Dale and I had both heard of it before but had never seen it. It was actually kind of funny and likable.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
One of the new Fair foods this year that I wanted to try was the fried ranch (dressing). It's been described as a wonton with ranch dressing instead of cream cheese. It's only sold at The Blue Barn at. the West End Market which is located at the northwest corner of the Fair just above the Midway (above photo from the State Fair's website).
Unlike what you see in the above photo the lines for food at the Blue Barn were insanely long. We decided to check out the History and Heritage Center which is also in the West End. There was lots of elbow room at this indoor exhibit which was a nice break from the crowds outside.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
We made a stop at the Horse Barn but mosgt of the horses had been taken out for judging. We were only able to find a few in their stalls. Here's one who was munching on a bag of hay.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Next up: Tom Thumb Mini Donuts! One of most favorite fair foods since I was a little kid. They were delicious but I forgot to tell them to not put on extra sugar so they were a little oversweet for my taste.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
First stop was the Ag/Hort Building so we could see the crop art. Sadly the line was ridiculously long. (Photo from the State Fair's Instagram account)
We decided to check out the flowers. Unfortunately we couldn't go in due to judging.
We just peeked in from the entry.
