Minnesota State Fair

Today is the first day of the Minnesota State Fair.  Since its inception, in 1855, the fair has been held every year with only five exceptions: in 1861 and 1862 due to the Civil War and Dakota Indian Conflict, in 1893 because of scheduling conflicts with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, in 1945 due to federal government travel restrictions during WWII, and in 1946 due to a polio epidemic.

The following is some trivia about our State Fair.

• At the 1859 Minnesota State Fair, what was the prize money awarded for “best horse”? ($4)
• Which biggest boar was the biggest of them all? (In 2010, crossbred swine Reggie weighed in at 1,450 lbs.)
• Which fair day in history holds the record for total rainfall? (On Aug. 30, 1977, it rained 7.28 inches.)
• How many Little Farm Hands walk through the exhibit each year? (40,000)
• How many cups does the State Fair go through each year? (5 million cups or 10 semi-truck loads)
• If measured by laying them end to end, how many miles of footlong hot dogs are sold at the State Fair? (35 miles of hot dogs)
• How many tons of potatoes do the three largest French fry vendors [Fresh French Fries’ two locations and World’s Greatest French Fries] use each year? (about 145 tons of potatoes or the weight of 290 cows)
• What unusual attraction debuted at the 1898 State Fair? (“Daylight Fireworks”)
• In 1902, the St. Paul and Minneapolis school boards pushed the opening day of school back to the Monday after the State Fair. What was their reason for doing this? (Education authorities stated that there was “more to be learned in a single day at the fair than in double the time at school or college. ”)
• What year did legendary pacer horse Dan Patch make his Minnesota State Fair debut? (1903)
• What machine revolutionized the animal agriculture process and was first exhibited at the 1908 fair? (A dairy cattle milking machine)
• The first 12-day State Fair was held in what year? (1975. Prior to this, the fair lasted anywhere between three and 11 days.)
• How many acres of corn are sold at the Corn Roast booth each year? (25 acres)
• Why did the State Fair’s Hippodrome (now the Warner Coliseum) need to be rebuilt? (During the 1940s, the A. O. Smith Corporation of Milwaukee took over the building, making it a World War II military aircraft factory for two years. After the propeller factory was removed, the Hippodrome was deemed “economically unfit for restoration” and was torn down.)
• What attraction, created in Pine Island, Minn., was the Dairy Building’s feature at the 1911 State Fair? (A 6,000-pound block of cheese)
• In 1912, who became the first female delegate at the Minnesota State Agricultural Society annual meeting? (Miss Jessie Walkup, secretary of the Pipestone County Fair)
• Why was Theodore Roosevelt only able to attend one of his two planned speaking engagements at the 1912 State Fair? (After giving his first speech at 11 a. m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4, Mr. Roosevelt suffered a severe case of laryngitis.)
• What animals shown at the State Fair are unlike other livestock because they have no proper breed names? (llamas)
• Breed names of Cinnamon, Hotot, CreÌ€me D’Argent and Mini Rex belong to what State Fair livestock? (rabbits)
• In 1920, this was introduced to fair guests as the future of dining. What was it? (Reverend J. M. Batinger’s Automatic Eater, an all-you-can-eat buffet served on a rotating conveyor belt. Price: 50¢)
• How many baby animals are born at the CHS Miracle of Birth Center during the State Fair? (Nearly 200 animals including calves, lambs and piglets)
• What is the length of the wind turbine blade outside Eco Experience? (Standing 123 feet tall, the wind blade is one of three that make up a wind turbine.)
• How are State Fair mascots Fairchild and Fairborne related? (Fairchild is Fairborne’s uncle.)
• Why has the State Fair Grandstand been called “the house that Dan Patch built? ” (The current Grandstand was constructed in 1909 to accommodate the enormous crowds attracted to harness racing by world-famous pacer horse Dan Patch.)
• How did most of the streets on the fairgrounds get their names? (Most streets on the fairgrounds are named in recognition of past State Agricultural Society leaders and individuals who shaped the State Fair between 1854 and 1940.)
• How long would it take the average cow to produce all the milk served during the fair’s 12-day run at the All-You-Can-Drink milk booth? (3-4 years)
• How fast does the Space Tower carry passengers into the skies above the State Fairgrounds? (The Space Tower rises at a rate of 295 feet per minute.)
• Has the St. Paul Winter Carnival Medallion ever been hidden on the fairgrounds? (The Winter Carnival Medallion has been hidden on the fairgrounds twice: First in 1953, near the Poultry Building by a base of a tree; and in 1967, between the Judging Arena and the KTCA-Channel 2 booth, lodged in a horseshoe under 8 inches of ice.)
• At peak times, where on the fairgrounds are as many as 400 cows milked daily? (The State Fair Milking Parlor in the Cattle Barn)
• How many food concessions are located throughout the fairgrounds? (About 300 food concessions dish up nearly 500 different delectable delights.)
• Before the Ramsey County Poor Farm in St. Paul became the State Fair’s permanent home, what other Minnesota cities hosted the time-honored event? (Minneapolis, Rochester, Red Wing, Winona and Owatonna)
• How many acres is the State Fairgrounds? (320 acres)
• What year was the first Minnesota State Fair held? (1859)
• What year was the Minnesota State Fair first held on the current fairgrounds? (1885)
• Which United States president gave one of his most famous speeches at the State Fair? (Teddy Roosevelt gave his “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick” speech in 1901 when he was serving as vice president.)
• When was the Pronto Pup introduced at the State Fair? (1947)
• During a typical year, how many gallons of milk are served at the All-You-Can-Drink Milk booth? (about 26,000 gallons)
• On average, what’s the total number of corndogs typically consumed by fair guests each year? (365,000)
• What is the most popular flavor of pies entered in the Creative Activities baked goods category? (apple pie)
• On average, how many individual cheese curds are battered, deep-fried and gobbled up by fair guests each year? (more than 2.6 million)
• How many dozens of mini donuts are eaten each year? (nearly 338,000 dozens)
• What special event took place at the fairgrounds on June 22, 1910? (The first airplane flight in Minnesota history)
• When did the State Fair attendance first top the 1 million mark? (On Sept. 5, 1955. Robert Karklin received a wristwatch and silver trophy for being the fair’s millionth guest.)
• What is the Minnesota State Fair’s all-time attendance record and when was it set? (1,824,830 guests attended the fair in 2014.)
• Who broke the all-time record for the most tickets sold to a single Grandstand show? (In 2000, Christina Aguilera sold 22,117 tickets.)
• Which famous composer appeared at the fair in 1927? (John Philip Sousa)
• How much did famous racehorse Dan Patch sell for in 1902? ($60,000)
• When was the Minnesota State Fair Foundation founded? (2002)
• Approximately how many rolls of toilet paper are used during the fair? (22,000 rolls)
• Why wasn’t there a fair in 1946? (Polio epidemic)
• How much butter is used to sculpt the likeness of Princess Kay of the Milky Way? (85–90 lbs.)
• What color are sweepstakes or grand champion best-of-show ribbons? (purple)
• How much government funding or what sum of taxpayer dollars does the State Fair receive? (The State Fair does not receive government funding or taxpayer dollars of any kind. It is completely financially self-supporting.)
• How many employees make up the Great Minnesota Get-Together’s fair-time staff? (About 2,700)
• In the late 1980s, world-famous aerialist Jay Cochran walked a high-wire stretched between the tops of which two State Fair structures? (The 4-H Building and the Space Tower)
• What architectural styles can be seen among the State Fair’s historic buildings? (Art Deco, Beaux Arts, Classical, Early Colonial and modern)
• What insect was blamed for reducing attendance at the 1875 fair? (grasshoppers)
• In what year was the first statewide Princess Kay of the Milky Way Contest held? (1954)
• Fresh French Fries made its debut at the fair in what year? (1973)
• In what year was the Bandshell constructed? (1971)
• How many cattle does the historic Cattle Barn house? (about 1,000)
• In what year was the Space Tower built? (1965)
• In what year did the Agriculture Horticulture Building open? (1947)
• Were there fairs in the area before Minnesota became a state? (Yes. The governing body of the State Fair is older than the state. Founded in 1854, the Minnesota Agricultural Society held its first Territorial Fair in 1855. Minnesota was granted statehood in 1858.)
• Before West End Market, what attraction and exhibit complexes were in its place? (The Teen-Age Fair or Young America Center from 1964-1974 and Heritage Square from 1975-2013)
• What are the record high and low temperatures during the fair? (High: 104 degrees in 1931; Record low: 33 degrees in 1890)
• What is the oldest food concession at the fairgrounds? (Hamline Church Dining Hall, since 1897)
• What is the oldest amusement at the fairgrounds? (Ye Old Mill, which began operating in 1915)