Photo credit: Clara James

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the oldest traditions in the state. Regardless of your interests, you’ll find something here; everything from mouthwatering foods on a stick to must-have memorabilia is sold inside these sacred metal gates. Events such as meet and greets and concerts with well-known artists happen daily. On the Grandstand this year, big names such as Portugal. The Man and The Beach Boys performed. There are also wild performances like The Lumberjack Show.

Running from August 24th to Labor Day, the fair brought in 1,842,222 visitors this year. Attendance numbers skyrocketed as 500,000 more people attended than last year. With that boom comes money. In the two-week time span, the fair brought in $40 million in ticket sales alone. Independent businesses like Sweet Martha’s and French Fries brought in $3 million, but for fairgoers, it’s not about the money, it’s about the experience. Some members of the student body were among those fairgoers. Here are some of the memories they made this year:

I tried out the gluten-free stands but also had Sweet Martha’s Cookie.s – Tiffany Dubbledee ‘23

I worked at Tim Walz’s booth and the Blue Barn. – Matthew Foley ‘23

Some of my highlights were eating 4 types of cheese curds, listening to Diana Ross, and eating red velvet funnel cake. – Marin Kaster ‘23

I had a great time at the Fair this year.  Some highlights for me would be the mini donuts and being able to spend time with my family. – J.D Bitonti ’25