Completed: 9. Go to Iowa/Minnesota/mid-West state fair
Why did I decide on the Minnesota State Fair? It has the largest attendance on a daily basis. I figure that counts for something. You have to go to the most popular state fair if you’re going to go a state fair.
My dad joined me on this bucket list adventure, which was a relief. I needed to have someone to split the fried food with me (the activity at the fair I was most looking to).
On the Friday we attended, there were 141,023 people there. That’s a lot of damn people. This was taken in the morning before the big crowds.
Now, what everyone with a pulse cares about… the food. I’ll let the pictures tell the story.
Pronto Pup:
French Fries and Fried Green Pepper With Marinara:
NEW THIS YEAR: Strawberry Donut Delight (glazed donuts, whipped cream, and strawberries)
My favorite! The Double Bacon Corn Dog (a bacon wrapped hot dog dipped in batter with bacon):
Corn Fritters with Honey Butter:
Fried Apple Pie with Cinnamon Ice Cream:
We missed a lot of food, like the fried mac n cheese bites with bloody Mary marinara, but by afternoon, the lines were too long and the crowds were too big. Here’s a fantastic list of the 47 new foods at the fair that I’m still drooling over. I’m bummed we missed so much, but I’m pretty happy about how much ground I covered.
I was honestly so focused on the food, I wasn’t prepared for to be wowed by anything else, but my goodness, the rest of the fair was fantastic. The animals, both in quality and quantity, were unbelievable. My dad and I stayed in the horse area for at least an hour walking down each row. I’ve never in my life seen horses as large as the ones at the fair. I was stunned. They didn’t look real.
Piglets!
Farm children!
Baby sheep!
And then there was the Princess Kay of the Milky Way, a title awarded to the winner of the statewide Minnesota Dairy Princess Program, an annual competition organized by the Midwest Dairy Association.
I had such a great time at the fair with my dad, eating, watching a pregnant cow about to give birth, learning about Minnesota agriculture, and getting a special tour with my friend’s dad, a former agriculture reporter.
But wait! There’s more food (though not at the fair)!
I only planned to go to the fair for one day, and I was free on Saturday, so my generous and kind hosts Bryan and Jessie took me on a tour of the downtown area.
They introduced me to a Jucy Lucy, a cheese-stuffed burger at Matt’s Bar. A burger with a melted core of cheese. Yes, a melted core of cheese!
Look at the cheese running out of the back after I took my first bite.
Also while in Minneapolis, I visited the Mary Tyler Moore statue and Minnehaha Falls.
Then, I did the meanest thing I could ever do to Kris, a Packers fan. I wore a Brett Favre Vikings jersey to US Bank Stadium. I’m so proud of this moment.
Can you tell how much of a great time I had?
Going on a year-long juice cleanse,
-Lyssa
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