State Fair 2012

My Minnesota State Fair post is terribly tardy. So very sorry about that.  At this point I guess it is just a personal recap. I've got a few cool photos to share though.

John and I went to the fair on August 25th for the day. I love, love, love the fair. I've been going since I was a kid. But the cool thing about the Minnesota State Fair is that there are new things every year, so it is never the same.

We took the bus from the Dunwoody State Fair Park and Ride this year on both trips to the fair. It was very fast and a great deal. I'd hate to drive and park at the fair. (Plus I am still traumatized from when I was a kid and my parents would wake us up at 5am to go to the fair so we could get there early and get a place to park. Um, yeah, so NOTHING much is open at the fair at 7am!!!)

We both started off with some Big Fat Bacon for breakfast. Sorry, I was starving and took a bite before I remembered to take a photo! This is a State Fair must-eat item for us. This is such good bacon. It is very thick with a hint of maple flavor. They had a couple sauces you could add too, but why mess with perfection? It is on a stick. Because everything at the fair should be on a stick. It's a rule.

Next, I tried a fudge puppy from Granny's Fudge Puppies. This was a new item for me this year. I had a Blue Ribbon Bargain book so I went with the standard fudge puppy, rather than the new one for this year with peanut butter inside and on top. This was very good, with a light and fluffy Belgian waffle on a stick covered in chocolate. The chocolate was amazing too, not overly sweet, which was unexpected, in a good way. I'd maybe get this again next year.

This year, we tried the french fries from the World's Greatest French Fries stand (On southwest corner of Dan Patch Ave. and Underwood St.) instead of the other Fresh French Fries stands. I believe we had a Blue Ribbon Bargain book coupon for these as well. We thought these were really good fries. Obviously fresh cut, handmade fries. Very crispy, not greasy. Not much of a line either. I wonder if they should try to put french fries on a stick somehow. May not be feasible. You would need a lot of sticks.

Check out our Minnesota craft beer from the MN Brewers Association hall. I think this new addition to the fair was a big hit as it was super crowded in there! I'm definitely saving the brochure listing all of the craft brewers in the state. Might make for a nice road trip sometime.

We watched the parade while we enjoyed our craft beers. Check out the giant steer.

And a giant cow for good measure. Moo. I guess I love giant fiberglass animals. 

Andrew Zimmern premiered his new food truck at the fair. 

Oooh, look, there's Andrew Zimmern himself! So exciting! They were filming something too. Not sure what.

John got a free sample of some sort of a sausage on a bun form the AZ food truck.  I'm not sure if this truck is for Bizarre Foods promotions or if it will be a regular fixture around town. 

Next, we tried the Minneapple Pie. This was a new item at the fair in 2011 and a new item for us in 2012. This was a great! The crust was very light and flaky with lots of apple pieces inside and tons of sugar and cinnamon inside and outside. I'd certainly order this again. Might have to add it into the regular fair rotation.

Butter heads. A MN State Fair must do. So strange though.

We rode the Skyride, you know, the enclosed gondolas. I don't think I have ever ridden the Skyride before in my entire life.  If I have, I have forgotten it. There was a nice view from up there. It was a bit rainy, but we just went in and out of assorted buildings durning the rain. 

John tried the Ragin' Ankles from Famous Dave's. These were a new item this year at the fair. I believe they were pig legs actually. Weird name though. The ankles were great because the meat was very tender and the sauce was sweet and spicy, but not too spicy. They were kind of like wings, because of the bone, which also made them easy to pick up. We both liked them a lot and would get them again. Oh yeah, Wally the beer man was there too, selling beer. If you've ever been to any sporting event around town you will understand why this is notable. He's a major celebrity of sorts.

Speaking of celebrities, why do we treat our news anchors in Minnesota like celebrities during the fair? I've been told by people form other states this is a strange and unusual practice. I guess I've never gone to the fair to watch the news or be on TV, so I don't really get it. I must admit, I do watch the news coverage on TV of the fair. So maybe I have kinda of been sucked in. I blame it on brainwashing!

We took a ride on the ferris wheel in the Midway. Here's the view from the top. 

View in the other direction. 

We wandered around the Midway a bit and played a couple games as well. We did not win any giant stuffed animals. Which is not disappointing, as I would not want to carry them around all day. Too bad they don't have a giant stuffed animal check somewhere, kind of like a coat check. I guess you are supposed to proudly carry it around all day though. Shoot, thought I had a great fair idea there for a second. 

I had my annual pronto pup. Pronto pups are better than corn dogs in my personal opinion. I prefer the flour batter as opposed to the cornmeal batter.

We made a second visit to the fair on August 31st after work. I like to go after work because you can just go and eat dinner and head home before it gets too late. Then you don't have to fit all of your fair food eating into one day! Moeration is the key my friends!

John loves the Turkey to Go sandwiches. I think they have turned into an annual tradition for him. I passed since I can go to the location downtown in the skyway any time now.

We both had the corn on the cob from the Corn Roast. Another important annual fair food tradition. The corn always tastes so good when consumed at the fair. Must be the vat of butter they dip it in or something.

I tried the Blarney Beans from O'Gara's too. I had a coupon for this too. They were surprisingly good, lightly battered, deep fried green beans with a slightly zippy dipping sauce. I'd order these again.

I also got a bucket of Sweet Martha's cookies. Forgot to take a photo though. It was a true hardship to eat them down enough so that we could close the lid. I brought the leftovers over to a friend's the next day. My friend Megan who used to live in Minnesota and could not attend the fair enjoyed the cookies immensely even though they were a day old. I do think Sweet Martha's cookie are best when served warm.

After watching Hookers and Blow at the International Bazaar for an hour we went to see Wilson Philips at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell since it was free. Where else can you see 90's hitmakers sing their greatest hits for free?! Only at the fair. Of course.

They were better than I was expecting. We ended up sticking around till the very end! 

Had to see them sing Hold On!

Fairborne

Deals & Discounts: I recommend buying your fair admission tickets in advance at Cub Foods and other local outlets. This year we saved $3 per ticket by buying admission tickets ahead of time. I also bought the Blue Ribbon Bargain book for $4 at Cub; it costs $5 if you buy it at the fair. You can even buy discount Metro Transit State Fair bus vouchers from Metro Transit's website for $4. The cost for the fair shuttle bus is $5 normally.

Minnesota State Fair
Located at 1265 North Snelling Ave. N. in St. Paul, MN
2012 dates: August 23 - September 3
2013 dates: August 22 - September 2