If there's one thing Minnesotans do best, it's the State Fair. For 12 straight days we run a festival full of entertainment, creative food, fair rides and games, art, educational booths, livestock exhibits, competitions and diversity that goes from the end of August into early September, eventually wrapping up on Labor Day. The "great Minnesota get-together," as the fair's slogan prides itself, is the largest state fair in the U.S. by average daily attendance.
Many Minnesotans venture out to the fair primarily for the wide varieties of food. There is everything from the classic cheese curds, milk shakes, fried pickles, and corn on the cob to the more unique including alligator-on-a-stick, deep fried candy bar and deep fried banana splits. Pretty much anything you can place in a deep fryer is found at the fair, and it typically is served on a stick.
We tried the deep fried banana split for the first time and it was SO good. Imagine an ice cream sundae galore with fried banana that is the equivalent to sweet banana bread. It was a joy for the taste buds and worth the oh so many calories that I'm sure it had.
Something Minnesota is stereo-typically known for is hotdish. People (mostly celebrities and visitors) assume it's our culture and way of life. Which I find funny because I hardly ever have it, but as you can see from the above image, we definitely do love it enough to sell our "delicacy" for $5.50 on a stick. Yes, the fair food is pricey, but to make it worthwhile you have to splurge a little here and there.
One of our favorite drinks at the fair is the lemonade. It is seriously the best I've ever had. It's perfect for a hot day and is so refreshing, especially after trying all sorts of fair fried food.
Each time we hit the fair we always get our classic favorite, the fried pickles! They are so yummy and better than Buffalo Wild Wings'. Which says a lot because I love my B-Dubs.
I love hitting the fair with these guys every year. Its a fun tradition that we have. We were so happy to have a night off from college to enjoy everything the fair has to offer.
Met a local celebrity - Raven from the Twin Cities radio station 101.3 KDWB. Cool to talk with her about college as I am studying something similar she went to school for. She is literally living out one of my dream jobs as I major in Multimedia Journalism, which includes all aspects of radio, television and writing.
One of the huge reasons so many people, especially teenagers, filled the fair grounds this year is because of Pokémon GO. There are PokeStops everywhere and lots of Pokemon to be caught. My brother was in a whole different world as he was trying to catch 'em all as our night unfolded.
You can't do the Minnesota State Fair without Sweet Martha's Cookies. They're one of the best parts of the whole fest. While the lines for the cookies are most always ridiculously long, it's definitely worth the wait.
Each cookie deliciously melts in your mouth once you take your first bite. For $16, the tub of cookies is really worth what you pay for considering how much you get. It's the perfect way to top of a day at the fair. There's nothing like bringing a piece of your adventure home with you to remember your fun time, especially when it's in the form of a cookie.
The Minnesota State Fair also attracts large crowds for their concert series. The Grandstand, a large outdoor concert hall, has featured many different artists year to year. The music played from the open venue can be heard throughout the fair, especially by the Sweet Martha's cookie stop (I should know, we enjoyed our delicious chocolate chip cookies while jamming to G-eazy this year).
I loved checking out everything this year's Minnesota State Fair had to offer. It's always fun to go with great friends to try different things. It seems like every year there is something new to see, do or try and because of the opportunities to explore the unknown, we keep coming back for more.
