The finishing touch to the summer for many families in Minnesota is a visit to the Minnesota State Fair. The fair is a popular event known as “The Great Minnesota Get-Together.” United States Presidents Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, Harding, Coolidge, and Eisenhower were among the visitors to the fair during its long history.
The first Minnesota State Fair was in 1859. Minnesota had been a state for only one year. From 1859 to 1885, the state fair moved around southern Minnesota until finally settling into a permanent location. There was no fair in 1861, 1862, 1893, 1945 or 1946. Construction of the Arts Center and the Progress Center was in 1907. They are the oldest fair buildings. Ye Old Mill ride opened in 1913 and is the oldest state fair ride. The year 1955 saw attendance surpass one million for the first time. In 2009, officials sent hundreds of 4-H presenters and their chaperons home from the fair after confirmation of four cases of swine flu, and others became sick with symptoms.
The Minnesota State Fair begins 12 days before Labor Day and ends the day after Labor Day. The Minnesota State Horse Show occurs at the same time on the fairgrounds, with the English Horse Show scheduled for the days preceding Labor Day weekend. The Western Horse Show happens on Labor Day weekend.
The state fairgrounds have been on the site of the former Ramsey County Poor Farm since 1885. The fairgrounds boundaries are Snelling Avenue on the east, Como Avenue to the south, Canfield Street to the southwest and Randall Avenue to the northwest and north. The University of Minnesota - St. Paul campus lies to the northwest.
The Minnesota State Fair boasts five entertainment stages with performances scheduled through most days of the fair. In 1953, one of the oldest traditions started at the fair with selection of the first Princess Kay of the Milky Way as Minnesota's dairy ambassador. Each year, an artist sculpts Princess Kay's likeness in butter for display. Fairgoers also know the fair for its variety of foods on a stick, including deep-fried candy bars, jumbo dill pickles, and jalapeno cheese.
Over the years, the fairgrounds have expanded from 210 acres to 320 acres. Parking lots form the perimeter of the grounds. The Mighty Midway is a rectangular strip in the west central part of the fairgrounds. The remainder is taken up by livestock barns, 4-H, open class, and commercial exhibit buildings, food vendors, and the Kidway. Seven avenues and seven streets crisscross the grounds.
