Minnesota State Fair: Happiness on a Stick

Is every State Fair in America as captivated by food on a stick as the Midwest?

Foot-long corn dogs, buffalo, alligator, cookie dough, cheese and chocolate-dipped cheesecake—you name it and you can likely find it on a stick. I haven’t traveled to enough State Fairs to know if this is a nationwide phenomenon, but honestly, part of me wouldn’t mind if it was.

There’s just something about this childlike captivation with food on a stick that captures exactly what I’ve always loved about State Fair. The demand for everyday foods on a stick is, after all, a childlike desire. It screams, “I’m at the fair and I’m going to eat everything I want on a stick! Nothing’s impossible, no food shall go ignored, better yet, if we can deep fry it AND stick it; we shall! WE are at the State Fairs of Fairs!”

This was my first time attending the Minnesota State Fair, and I was pleased to find that it wasn’t all that different from my adored Wisconsin State Fair. I found fewer cheese stands—to be still my beating heart—and fewer vendors, but overall the similarities were uncanny. One thing that seems to be true of both state fairs (and possibly all State Fairs) is the ability for adults to return to their childhood state of mind.

Full-fledged adults wander around wearing paper animal crowns, like it’s their birthday at Burger King. I didn’t do a headcount, but I’m pretty sure I saw more adults toting silly crowns on their heads than little ones. They were walking about petting baby animals, talking to horses, competitively carving butter, eating dessert on a stick before their dinner on a stick, and going on enough twirling, flipping, and dipping rides to shake the brain giggly.

The State Fair seems to be the one place where mass amounts of adults can let loose and simply be kids again. I’m normally a pretty lighthearted girl; I live with a certain amount of Peter Pan mentality, but even I found myself laughing harder than usual at the fair this year. My boyfriend, Johnathan, and I went on my favorite ride, the Tilt-O-Whirl, and we kept scooting our butts left and right in a successful attempt to make the ride spin faster. We were laughing so hard together, my stomach hurt and I pretty much cried!

I mean, part of why State Fair is such a huge success is that we’re simply not willing to lose our childlike innocence. We all need a day of laughter, and a huge mob-like crowd of people doesn’t stop us from getting it! At least, it sure didn’t stop me! I got my beer-battered cheese curds (as every WI girl should), and my chocolate-dipped cheesecake on a stick, and I got the laughter…I definitely got the laughter! 🙂

Did you hit up your State Fair this year? Which state? What did you enjoy most? I’m starting to get curious about other State Fairs now that I tried one newbie. 🙂

Peace & Happiness, Buds!

Jacqueline Lee