State Fair 2018 (First Visit) - Streetcar Arch

Saturday, August 25, 2018

The following is from the State Fair walking tour brochure:

"Streetcar Arch"

"Installed 1934, reinstalled 2014"

"Then: It's hard to believe, but horses and mules were once used as a mode of transportation to the State Fair. By the 1890s, a different type of horsepower took over: trains and streetcars. The railway allowed companies such as Royal American Shows to unload a 90-car train filled with midway attractions at the fair. Streetcars brought visitors into the heart of the fairgrounds. In 1934, those tracks were shortened, introducing a new gate entrance and steel arch inscribed with 'State Fair' to welcome guests fresh off the streetcar rails. Streetcar transportation remained popular until the '50s when its usage declined with a new mode of public transportation: the bus."

"Now: Fair visitors arrive at the fair by bus, car, or bicycle. Although the Royal American Shows train doesn't chug into the State Fair station anymore, a red and yellow train car from a bygone era sits in the West End Market next to the Transit Hub. Another treasure from the old railroad days can be seen overhead by the History & Heritage Center: the restored Streetcar Arch.

State Fair 2018 (First Visit) - 4-H Building

Saturday, August 25, 2018

The following is from the State Fair walking tour brochure:

"4-H Building"

"Opened 1939, dedicated 1940"

"Then: 4-H originally was known as boy's and girl's clubs, and since 1914, they have exhibited at the State Fair. The Works Progress Administration constructed this gleaming white, Art Deco-style building  at the end of the Great Depression. Concrete in the building's horizontal base and central tower conveys a sense of strength meant to boost moral during those challenging economic times. Visitors can see the 4-H symbol, a four-leaf clover, depicted above the main entrance doors. The 'H' in each clover's leaf represents one area of personal development central to the youth organization: head, heart, hands, and health."

"Now: Thousands of young Minnesotans flock to the 4-H Building every summer to showcase the results of their hard work. Some present livestock while others exhibit projects that feature technology, art, gardening, photography, quilting, and more. The upstairs dormitories are filled with 4-H participants excited to make new friends from around the state. They're also excited to compete for a ribbon!"

State Fair 2018 (First Visit) - Swine Barn

Saturday, August 25, 2018

The following is from the State Fair walking tour brochure:

"Swine Barn"

"Built 1936"

"Then: The large red-brick Swine Barn was completed in 1936. It was one of more than a dozen structures on the fairgrounds built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal program that created jobs for people during the Great Depression. During the WWII years, exhibitions of livestock and poultry were suspended as the government converted all of the animal barns, including the Swine Barn, into a military aircraft propeller plant."

"Now: Through the years, judging standards for swine have changed; in the 1940s, livestock judging handbooks described the ideal hog as 'excessively fat.' Today, judges look for muscle, not fat. One of the Swine Barn highlights is seeing the winner of the Largest boar category; in 2010, crossbred swine 'Reggie' weighed in at 1,450 pounds. Grab a pig ear headband at the Oink Booth, and go on a quest to discover what weights the most this year - the largest boar or the giant pumpkin in the Agriculture Horticulture Building."

West End Market

I've heard that the new West End Market is the biggest expansion at the Fair since the 1930s.