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Thanks to Scott Mohn for this cheery photo. To share your best fair photos with us, take a trip down Memory Lane and add them to the official MN State Fair Photo Community group on Flickr.
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Greetings! While we won't be getting together in our usual grand style at the end of the summer, there are still plenty of fair-related goings-on to share with you!
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Tickets for First-Ever Minnesota State Fair Food Parade Go on Sale This Friday!
This meandering 1.5-mile drive-thru experience features 16 vendors and a chance to support the Great Minnesota Get-Together! Choose from select arrival times on Aug. 20-23, 27-30 and Sept. 3-7.
Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. July 31! Each vehicle ticket is $20 (fees extra, sales tax included), with proceeds supporting Minnesota State Fair operations in a year when the cancellation of the fair leaves us without 95% of our revenue to maintain our facilities and prepare for next year's fair. (Food purchases are not included in the ticket price.)
Just like a parade, all vehicles will follow the same route through the fairgrounds by all 16 vendors, purchasing and receiving your food at each stop. Plan for a multi-hour experience, and enjoy entertainment, trivia and activities along the way. Plus, receive a Minnesota State Fair lunch bag as a thank-you gift!
Participating vendors include: Cheese On-A-Stick/Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade, Dairy Goodness Bar by ADA of the Midwest, El Sol Mexican Foods, Foot Long Hot Dogs & Corn Dogs, Fresh French Fries, Giggles' Campfire Grill, Mouth Trap Cheese Curds, Pitchfork Sausage/Butcher Boys London Broil, Pronto Pups, Que Viet, Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar, Sweets & Treats, The Hangar, Tom Thumb Donuts, Turkey to Go, West Indies Soul Food
A limited number of vehicles will be permitted each hour. Don't miss out on tickets!
If you're attending the Food Parade, don't forget to bring a food donation for Second Harvest Heartland.
If you're not able to attend the parade, please consider making a monetary donation to Second Harvest Heartland.
Interested in the chance to get Food Parade tickets before they go on sale to the general public, plus other fabulous fair benefits? Become a 2020 Friend of the Fair through the Minnesota State Fair Foundation! Friends of the Fair contributions support the Foundation's nonprofit mission to preserve and improve State Fair buildings, fairgrounds and educational programs.
Friends of the Fair Food Parade tickets are limited, and you must be a 2020 Friend of the Fair at the Red Ribbon level ($100) or above.
For presale access, sign up online by 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, or call 651-288-4325 by noon Wednesday, July 29. Please note, that while we will still accept Friends of the Fair memberships after these deadlines, we cannot guarantee access to Friends of the Fair Food Parade tickets at the start of the presale.
(Please note that the last day to become a 2020 Friend of the Fair and receive the current year's benefits is July 31, 2020. Beginning Aug. 1, Friend of the Fair benefits will apply for the 2021 State Fair.)
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Although we can't get together at the Minnesota State Fair for a round of lemonade or cold beer, we've made the iconic State Fair cups available for you to purchase! This week, sales dates are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 28, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, July 31. Stop by the State Fair Ticket Office to pick up the perfect complement to your own summer get-together!
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Speaking of Cold Beer - Select State Fair Specialties Are Available for a Limited Time!
What better way to commemorate the summer of 2020 than by raising a glass of specialty brew typically found only at the Minnesota State Fair? For a limited time, in a year without the Great Minnesota Get-Together, a partnership between
a few State Fair vendors and breweries brings you select beers available for purchase at the taprooms where they're brewed (while supplies last).
Here's your chance to enjoy:
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Beer: Found at the fair at Andy's Grille;
in 2020 at Big Wood Brewery
- Key Lime Pie: Found at the fair at Café Caribe;
in 2020 at Lift Bridge Brewing Company
- Mini Donut Beer: Found at the fair at Ball Park Cafe;
in 2020 at Lift Bridge Brewing Company
- Raspberry Hard Cider: Found at the fair at Giggles' Campfire Grill;
in 2020 at Sociable Cider Werks
- S'Mores Beer: Found at the fair at Giggles' Campfire Grill;
in 2020 at Excelsior Brewing Company
- Sparkling Honey Hive: Found at the fair at Giggles' Campfire Grill;
in 2020 at Sociable Cider Werks
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The Show Will Go On! Fine Arts Exhibition Welcomes Guests In-Person
Although we are not able to celebrate Minnesota's talented artists at the State
Fair as usual, we are pleased to announce that the Minnesota State Fair will host the 2020 Fine Arts Exhibition of Minnesota. This one-of-a-kind showcase will feature amazing work by hundreds of artists from across the state selected through an online juried competition.
Get an up-close opportunity to view the exhibition during special in-person gallery showings from Thursday, Aug. 27 through Labor Day, Sept. 7, in the Fine Arts Center on the State Fairgrounds.
Tickets for gallery showings are $10 each. Attendance will be limited to 25 percent of building capacity in order to follow social distancing and other health and safety precautions set forth by the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In accordance with revised state health mandates, wearing masks will be required at this event. We will not be able to provide masks upon request, so please plan to bring your own mask. When purchasing tickets, guests will select a 90-minute time slot for their gallery viewing.
Proceeds from ticket sales support future fine arts programming at the Minnesota State Fair. A portion of artwork sales benefits the
Minnesota State Fair Foundation 501(c) (3).
Thank you to Foundation donors, whose generous support helped to make the 2020 fine arts exhibition possible.
If you're not able to join us in-person, you're welcome to view the exhibition through a video-recorded tour and an online catalog, both available later this summer at no cost.
Are you an artist?
If you're interested in entering the juried competition for the Fine Arts Exhibition of Minnesota, the deadline to
register is at 4:30 p.m. TODAY, July 27!
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 Youth Recognition Continues This Summer Through Scholarship Programs
Deeply invested in the educational endeavors of young adults from greater Minnesota, both the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Livestock Breeders' Association will continue to offer scholarship opportunities this August despite the cancellation of the 2020 Minnesota State Fair. Recipients are selected based on their leadership and achievement in youth livestock programs, as well as their involvement in the local community.
The Minnesota State Fair Scholarship was established in 1994 and awards 20 scholarships of $1,000 each. Since its inception, nearly $500,000 has been awarded. This year the Minnesota State Fair Scholarships are being funded by the Minnesota State Fair Foundation. Additionally, Christensen Farms, one of the largest family-owned pork producers in the nation, has made available an additional $1,000 scholarship named the Christensen Family Scholarship. Applications are due by 4:30 p.m. Aug. 3, 2020.
The Minnesota Livestock Breeders' Association, in conjunction with Minnesota 4-H and the 4-H Auction Committee, will award more than $60,000 in scholarships to 4-H members furthering their education and working toward a postsecondary degree at an accredited college or university. More than $500,000 has been awarded over the lifetime of this program. The deadline for applications is 4:30 p.m. Aug. 1, 2020.
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 State Fair Plants Find a New Home
Many of the beautiful plants used in the 150 gardens on the State Fairgrounds are grown and cultivated in our very own greenhouses. In a year without a fair and our mighty crew of summer staff, it's tough to plant and maintain all of those spaces. More than 1,300 plants were donated to some of the 100 community and public gardens of Minnesota Green. Part of the Minnesota Horticultural Society, this program cultivates public green spaces and promotes community gardening, connecting people and helping neighbors grow healthy food.
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Super Prize Drawing Coming Soon!
 Our State Fair vendors are known for offering guests the opportunity to enter countless drawings for fabulous prizes.
This year, we're pleased to announce that Sleep Number, a sponsor of the first-ever Minnesota State Fair Food Parade, is partnering with the fair to offer you a chance to win a big EAT PLAY SLEEP prize package. Watch for details coming soon!
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Take a prehistoric tour featuring 80 life-sized dinosaurs, including a 40-foot T-Rex and 30-foot Brachiosaurus, Triceratops, Velociraptor and more - family fun from the comfort of your vehicle! This drive-thru adventure is July 31-Aug. 2 and Aug. 6-9 in the Grandstand Infield.
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We hope to see you at the first-ever
Minnesota State Fair Food Parade. Tickets go on sale
at 10 a.m. this Friday, July 31. Thank you to Altamish Osman Photography for sharing this photo.
To share your best fair photos with us, add them to the official
MN State Fair Photo Community
group on Flickr and they may be used in our marketing materials.
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