Thursday, September 12, 2013

State Fair 2013

I am so happy that I got the chance to go to the Minnesota State Fair. Something about it, I just love. My goal next year is to make something and enter it. I would just love to win a blue ribbon! My friend Liz and I went the Sunday before Labor Day along with 236,197 of our closest friends. It was a record breaking attendance day and it sure felt like it. The lines were long but the food is always worth it my opinion!

First we went to the Miracle of Birth building where you can see live births (no thanks) and lots of really cute baby animals. That's my favorite part :)

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Then, we began our food quest. I always have to get 3 things at the fair. Cheese curds, corn and Pronto Pups. If you aren't from MN, you may not know the glory that is the Pronto Pup. It is like a corn dog but has a different batter. The batter is more like a pancake consistency than cormeal-y like a corn dog. It's awesome. I don't even really like hot dogs that much but I love Pronto Pups. Next up was corn. The corn at the fair is roasted and it's pretty much the best sweet corn on the planet. Fact. After an hour or so of walking, it was time for cheese curds. Minnesota cheese curds are made from cheddar and are amazing. The only legit kind of curd is batter covered. Some places serve the imitation curd which is has more of a cornmeal/bread crumb coating. It pales in comparison to the battered curd. Can I say curd one more time? Curd. haha

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I also tried a couple of the food that make their fair debut. First up was the fudge puppy which is a belgian waffle on a stick covered in chocolate. This concoction is not new but the English toffee flavor was. It was pretty good but didn't have enough toffee flavor for my liking.  Right before we left, I braved a SUPER long line to try the Minnepumpkin pie. This booth is relatively new and the past couple of years only served one kind: the Minneapple pie. Apple pie is pretty good but I (capital L) LOVE pumpkin pie so I had to try it. YOU GUYS. It was so so good. The crust was amazing and flakey and the filling was awesome. I want one right now.

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In terms of "attractions" there are a lot of fun things to see. This year we checked out the Horticulture building among other things.  It has become quite popular because now they serve beer in there. All locally brewed and you can get flights of different kinds. My favorite things in the building are the apples and the honey. They really have the best apple cider there and you can buy apples just to eat for a buck. I also love the seed art. I can't believe how creative some people can be with just seeds as the medium. Meticulous to the max.

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We also stopped at the Dairy building to check out the butter sculptures. They've made a movie about them so they are a pretty big deal! We saw a really neat exhibit showing the winners of the Princess Kay of the Milky Way crown for the last 60 years. I loved seeing all of the winners throughout the years!

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Then it was time to hit the road. Until next time, fair. I love you!

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3 comments:

  1. I love the Fair. We went the first week and had a blast, even though it was a little warm! My husband got the Mini Donut beer and I did have a sip - it was very sweet and kind of odd. The glass was rimmed with cinnamon. That was the only new thing we really tried though! Sigh, another year to wait!

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  2. Sad we didn't make it this year! Corn, corndogs, and baby animals. You hit my faves. :)

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  3. SO SADDENING for me. I won't be able to go to my local fair this October and that is my FAVORITE thing ever. So now I get to live through your pictures :)

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