1. You can get all of your food on a stick. Besides having the most amazing food of probably anywhere, everything is on a stick! But Claire, why is food on a stick so wonderful? Glad you asked. Now picture this, you're walking around the fair. Any other mediocre fair would hand you your food on a plate. As you are walking the grounds you have to hold your plate with one hand and eat your food with your other hand. In this model, both hands are being used. When a stick is involved, one hand is free to roam. Maybe the hand can be put to good use to high-five the State Fair Gopher Mascot.

Photo Courtesy of: http://heavytable.com/the-minnesota-state-fair-201...

2. We have the CHS Miracle of Birth Center. If you didn't grow up near a farm you probably have never witnessed the birth of a baby animal. At the Minnesota State Fair, you can witness it all regardless of where you live! Witness baby animals being born before your very eyes (or on the large TV monitors because the place is very crowded). The exhibit features Minnesota's finest lambs, chicks, and calves. The CHS Miracle of Birth Center is one of the most popular and FREE attractions at the Minnesota State Fair. One year I even witnessed a lamb born on my birthday. If you are lucky enough, and if your birthday happen to falls over the Minnesota State Fair run, you too may be able to have a baby animal share your birthday! Quite honestly, I can't think of anything neater than that.

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.mnstatefair.org/entertainment/ag_exhibi...

3. You can participate in the Giant Sing Along. Now, you may be asking yourself, where can I sweat it out with fellow fair-goers and hearing blood-curdling singing voices? None other than, the Giant Sing Along! The Giant Sing Along is a huge outdoor sing-along fest where you can sing with other fair-goers to popular songs that pop up on the big screen. Don't know the words? No worries! The lyrics run on the big screen in real time. If you go early enough, you can beat the small children who love to sing anything but the actual words.

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.mnstatefair.org/interactive/singalong/

4. The best cookies around at Sweet Martha's Cookies. They are arguably the best cookies around. This isn't your grandma's kitchen (although it may taste like it). Sweet Martha's runs a well oiled machine. They pump out thousands of cookies a day and are always busy. They might seem like your generic chocolate chip cookie to an outsider, that is, until you try it. I mean after a long day of walking the fairgrounds, what's better than a giant tub of chocolate chip cookies?

Photo Courtesy of: Claire Erickson

5. We have the best artists in town at the Grandstand. During the day the Grandstand houses different vendors that sell jewelry, instruments, and even fudge! The Grandstand is fun during the day, but night-time is when the real magic happens. Artists from across the country are featured and tickets are generally pretty reasonable. Over the years the fair has featured front liners like KISS, Macklemore, Carrie Underwood, and Def Leppard to name a few. This year some popular acts include G-Eazy, Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas, and Minnesota's (and Anoka's) own, Garrison Keillor.

Photo Courtesy of: www.exploreminnesota.com

6. We have the Ye Old Mill. This is the place where nightmares begin. You get on the ride to start the horror fest. Your boat will bring you through the tunnel where you'll (maybe) make it out to the other side. Only kidding here folks. The Ye Old Mill is a historic ride at the Minnesota State Fair, 100 years in the making. It really is a staple here at the fair and is more appropriately nick-named "the tunnel of love". The inside of the tunnel features murals of gnomes and leprechauns not ghouls and goblins. This is a great ride for adults and children alike!

7. If you want real scares, head to the actual Haunted House. The haunted house is on fair grounds and features creepy clowns and bloodied monsters. As someone from the Halloween Capitol of the World, it is never too early for your Halloween fix!

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.flickr.com/photos/14764346@N00/6086361...

8. See the fair from a birds eye view with the Skyride. The Skyride is a structure that is suspended above the Minnesota State Fair. Take a ride on the Skyride and see all of the fair from an aerial view hundreds of feet up.

Photo Courtesy of: https://www.facebook.com/mnskyride/photos

9. We have a princess head made out of butter. It sounds crazy but we actually do. Princess Kay of the Milky Way is the winner of the Minnesota Dairy Princess Program. Each year the winner of this contest is made into a butter head sculpture. This is a tradition spanning many years ever since 1965. The annual carvings are watched and displayed in the dairy building.

Photo Courtesy of: http://modernfarmer.com/2013/04/meet-the-queen-of-...

10. You can watch shows at the Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum. Every day, multiple times a day, you can watch horses gallop and cows wear bows. The Coliseum is a large concrete structure that houses different competition shows each day. The shows are completely free and are a wonderful place to relax after walking all day. The coliseum also has vendors surrounding it that sell different farm related items.

Photo Courtesy of: http://www.mnstatefair.org/entertainment/coliseum_...

The Minnesota State Fair runs from Aug. 25th- Sept. 5th during the 2016 year.

• Adults (13-64): $13
• Seniors (65+): $11
• Kids (5-12): $11
• Children (Under 5): Free

Visit http://www.mnstatefair.org/ for more info.