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.

2010 - Butter Queen Wannabe

Dale and I didn't go to the State Fair in 2010 but I found a Facebook App where you could "Butter-fy" yourself into a butterhead. This is how I turned out.

Minnesota State Fair 2010 Part 2

This first photo is the state fair button from 2010. Dale and I didn't go that year but I found this picture on the internet. I'm a fan of the Fair's gopher mascot. I learned recently that one is named Fairborn and the other is Fairchild. The second photo is from the Minnesota State Fair website and is dated August 31, 2010. I love going to the fair for the food and the french fries are always delicious!

Minnesota State Fair 2010

Dale and I had EVERY intention of going to the State Fair in 2010 since we had had such a good time in 2009. Sadly, it didn't work out the way we wanted. The time that the Fair falls every year is difficult for me because, as a teacher, I'm getting ready to go back to work. Attendance for the Fair in 2010 was high and totaled 1,776,211 people. Not bad.