At Home Edition: Sunday, Aug. 30

Check out what’s happening today for the Minnesota State Fair: At-Home Edition here and on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube pages!

Minnesota Cooks Day

Today would have been Minnesota Cooks Day at the Minnesota State Fair! Through cooking demonstrations and lively discussions with Minnesota farmers, chefs and celebrities, this program focuses on the importance of farm-to-table connections. These activities at Dan Patch Park highlight foods produced in Minnesota and explore the critical role that local family farmers and sustainable agriculture have within our state’s food system.

Watch this video for an overview of the innovative and inspiring Minnesota Cooks Day program.

Gopher Mascots Fairborne and Fairchild

Fairborne and Fairchild are our lovable gopher mascots, and they keep their crazy fun antics up ALL 12 days of the Minnesota State Fair! During a normal fair year, you can meet them at Visitors Plaza at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. or see them in the daily parade at 2 p.m.

Thanks to Faribault Woolen Mill, these guys can be seen at the Food Parade this year.

Fun fact: Did you know Fairchild is Fairborne’s uncle? Now ya do!

Video credit: Freestyle Productions

Arts A’Fair Performance: Twin Cities Trapeze Center

Arts A’Fair is a program supported by the Minnesota State Fair Foundation that celebrates performing arts with pop-up showcases of drumming, music, dance and theater to entertain guests throughout the fairgrounds. This year, some Arts A’Fair groups are performing at the Food Parade, thanks to Mazda!

Watch this impressive performance by Twin Cities Trapeze Center!

The Corn Roast: From Field to Fair

The Corn Roast booth is one of the iconic and popular food stops at the Minnesota State Fair. This is the captivating journey of how 25 acres of corn, grown just west of the Twin Cities, makes its way from the field to the fair each day of the 12-day Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Video credit: AirVuz

See more drone videos of the fair, thanks to AirVuz!

Crop Art: A Talk with Linda Paulsen

Have you ever wondered what goes into making one of the beloved crop art pieces on display in the Agriculture Horticulture Building? Watch as Linda Paulsen, a crop artist who first entered the Minnesota State Fair competition in 1967, shows you the ropes!

12 Days of Giveaways

Head on over to our Instagram and follow along for 12 Days of Giveaways! This is your chance to win some excellent State Fair swag! Our username is mnstatefair – we’ll see you there. Today’s entries begin at 10 a.m. Good luck!

History Highlight

Food demonstrations at the State Fair – perhaps they inspire you to cook at home. And it helps to get the perfect kitchen gadget to prep the ingredients. Guess what? You can get that at the fair, too. Or maybe these demonstrations just make you hungry? You’re in luck. With more than 300 food vendors, you’ll find something delectable to satisfy your hunger at the fair.

Cooking demonstration; Photo circa 1934

Food concession in the Mexican Village (Known today as International Bazaar); Photo circa 1970

Wok demonstration in Creative Activities; Photo circa 1990

Mighty Midway Game

What’s a State Fair without some games at Mighty Midway? Thanks to our friends at Sleep Number, we have you covered. Play this midway game – and enter for the chance to win some stellar prizes!

Show Us Your Minnesota State Fair Photos

Let’s take a trip down memory lane! Each day, we want to see your favorite photos of past Minnesota State Fairs. We’ll have a different theme daily, and we hope you’ll share them with us. Feel free to send them to us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, or email them to fairinfo@mnstatefair.org.

Today’s theme: FOOD! On-a-stick, in-a-boat or in-a-cup. Let’s see ‘em!

Daily Trivia

Test your State Fair knowledge! Each day we will post a trivia question along with the answer.

Today’s question is: What is the temperature of the cooler where the Princess Kay of the Milky Way butter heads are sculpted?

Answer: 40 degrees

History Page

The Minnesota State Fair showcases our state’s best in areas from agriculture to history, and entertainment to education. For 165 years, the Minnesota State Fair has always been a place where traditions are made and stories are shared. Check out our History Page for photos, facts and more!

At-Home Fair Fun For All Ages

Looking for some fun at-home activities to do with the young and young at heart? Head to our At-Home Fair Fun page to find interactive State Fair activities, from Kemps Little Farm Hands trivia, EquiMania!^TM challenges, Moo Booth quizzes, coloring pages and Math On-A-Stick games. Plus, fair fans of all ages can also enjoy cooking demonstrations, videos that highlight agriculture and much more!

Minnesota State Fair Foundation

Become an official 2021 Friend of the Fair! In a year without a fair and without 95% of our revenue, your membership helps support the Minnesota State Fair Foundation in enriching the unforgettable memories and traditions that are made here at the Minnesota State Fair. Learn more about how to become a Friend of the Fair.

The Minnesota State Fair Foundation is also bringing the fair to you through a 12-day online auction, presented by By The Yard, now through Sept. 7. The auction features fun State Fair items and experiences you can’t get anywhere else and supports the Foundation’s mission to preserve and improve State Fair programs, buildings and the fairgrounds. Check out the auction items, and place your bids now.

Minnesota State Fair Online Marketplace

Missing your annual Minnesota State Fair shopping trip this year? We’ve got you covered with the first-ever State Fair Online Marketplace. This searchable hub has more than 270 of your favorite State Fair vendors and exhibitors. Search by vendor name, shopping area, product categories or other keywords and click through to their website to finish the order process. Many businesses are offering State Fair deals and special merchandise. It’s available now through Dec. 31, 2020. Happy shopping!

2020 Minnesota State Fair Merchandise

Even though we can’t be together this year, you can still get your 2020 Minnesota State Fair merchandise. There are buttons, T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, drinkware, face coverings and much more! The best part? A portion of sales benefits the Minnesota State Fair Foundation. Get your State Fair swag now!

Celebrating the Fair at Home!

We want to see how you’re celebrating the Minnesota State Fair from home this year. Send us your most creative State Fair at-home photos and videos to fairinfo@mnstatefair.org. Brownie points (or should we say, cookie points) for creativity!

Specialty Brews and Beverages

Sip, sip, hooray! This summer you can find some of your favorite State Fair specialty brews and beverages at Twin Cities taprooms. Usually only found during the 12 days of the fair, fair fans will be able to get their fix of State Fair sips. Check out which beers and ciders are available and where you can get them.

Zoom Backgrounds

You can celebrate what would have been the Great Minnesota Get-Together on your next Zoom call with fair-themed backgrounds. Head to our Facebook or Twitter to download the backgrounds and start Zooming in State Fair style!