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The Minnesota State Fair is a great fun event to visit over a warm weekend, especially if you’re a foodie or if you have other Minnesota local agendas.
For foodies, there are 34 new official foods and 7 new food vendors participating. Of course, there’s funfetti Birthday Cake sprinkled 🧁 and long hot dogs 🌭 everything…
But there are also foods I would serve and add to the gourmet menu at parties and catering events I planned. Like creative flavor pairing eats: hummus with basil at Holy Land in the International Bazaar. That by the way is gluten-free.
…And fried green tomato sandwich, fried egg hole, or Halloumi cheese on toast. Plus, local unusual red-wine infused pizza sauce, huckleberry and lavender lemonades, St. Paul pickle kettle fudge, and churros with cinnamon ice cream. I mean c’mon 😋 this is so fitting for post-2020… (and I thought I was cutting-edge with gourmet popcorn jelly beans 🤣).
To win you back, this was my home contribution to angel food cake and ice cream (not bad, huh?)
At the Minnesota State Fair, you’ll also see the purist Angel Food Cake competition (no strawberries 🍓 or glaze on top).
…Maybe you’re visiting family or checking out a Minnesota Vikings game at the U.S. Bank Stadium (Quarterback Kirk Cousins who used to be the QB for my hometown Washington Commanders).
…Or you’re in for a girls-only weekend checking out Mall of America (the mall on your bucket list of mega malls)… like East Coast Tysons Corner I and Galleria II that I grew up with.
Once in a while, a Cirque du Soleil 🎪 would come through on the limited real estate greens… but nothing like the entertainment scene at The Minnesota Mall.
But in Minnesota’s Mall of America, there’s more of a year-round fair feeling with the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park and water animals at the Sea Life public aquarium.
And for me, Minnesota hit the map when I learned about specialty scrapbooking. Some ladies were doing this in my office and I’m all about sharing photos and memories (…can you tell?). Creative Memories is from St. Cloud, Minnesota, and the whole scrapbook phenomenon.
I used to throw scrapbook parties for my creative outlet and go to the Scrapbook Expo Fairs in Chantilly, VA, and A Shopping Spree! in Raleigh, NC.
Some chase concerts, I chased scrapbooking events back then… and today concerts and fairs too!
And if creative is up your alley, the Minnesota State Fair has an agenda for creatives! 👩🎨
The creative activities include stamps, postcards, and baked product competitions with chocolate chip cookies, Bundt cakes, sourdough, and banana bread as a few categories. 🍞
And the Minnesota State Fair has tranquil artistic gardens (not your usual fair features). So take a looksy around 👀
The State Liberty Bell from 1921 is all green and dolled up as a dense topiary (I have a great sticker for that but no emoji 😊) with moss roses and 6,000 succulents 🌵that btw, we need for zen garden sustainability as cactus-like plants are very efficient and need little water!
And see the waterfall and herb features that you can easily miss around the regular greenery!
While gardens are the quiet areas of the fair, they are doing the community a world of good. And you can see the pop of color and pink roses everywhere if that’s your thing like it is mine.
And from there, you can do a small city trip…
You could stay close by in Saint Paul (the capital) and get a feel for the city. Some places have a very fairytale vibe with blue and gold silky fabrics bedding with frills and tassels. 🛏️
