Aug. 21 – Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2025
242 Days 19 Hours 42 Mins
Q: How many food concessions are located throughout the fairgrounds?
A: About 300 food concessions dish up nearly 500 different delectable delights.
Q: What is the oldest food concession on the fairgrounds?
A: Hamline Church Dining Hall, which began operating in 1897
Q: When did the All You Can Drink Milk tradition begin?
A: 1955
Q: 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?
A: 8-9 years
Q: During a typical year, how many gallons of milk are served at the All You Can Drink Milk booth?
A: About 26,000 gallons
Q: What kind of milk is served at the All You Can Drink Milk booth?
A: 2 percent white and 1 percent chocolate milk
Q: How many glasses of milk does the average customer drink at the All You Can Drink Milk booth?
A: The average customer drinks between two and three 12 oz. glasses of milk.
Q: The Corn Roast’s corn comes from a farm near which Minnesota town?
A: Waverly, Minn.
Q: At what temperature is the corn at the Corn Roast booth roasted?
A: 575 degrees
Q: How many ears of corn does the Corn Roast booth go through each day?
A: 25,000 ears of corn
Q: How many acres of corn are sold at the Corn Roast booth each fair?
A: 25 acres
Q: How many pounds of butter does the Corn Roast booth go through each year?
A: 4,000 pounds of butter
Q: Approximately how many ice cream treats are served at the Dairy Goodness Bar during the fair?
A: Approximately 182,000 ice cream treats
Q: How many pounds of strawberries are used each fair for ice cream treats at the Dairy Goodness Bar?
A: Approximately 6,000 pounds of strawberries
Q: Fresh French Fries made its debut at the fair in what year?
A: 1973
Q: 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?
A: About 145 tons of potatoes or the weight of 290 cows
Q: How many pounds of ketchup do the Fresh French Fries stands go through each fair?
A: 25,000 pounds
Q: When was the Pronto Pup introduced at the State Fair?
A: 1947
Q: How many tons of batter do Pronto Pups use each fair?
A: Approximately 70 tons of batter
Q: In what year was the 25 millionth Pronto Pup served at the Minnesota State Fair?
A: 2016
Q: How many cookies can Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar produce in one day?
A: 3 million cookies
Q: How many tons of chocolate chips does Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar use during the run of the fair?
A: 54 tons of chocolate chips
Q: How many cookies does one batch of dough at Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar yield?
A: Approximately 5,000 cookies
Q: Between the three Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar locations, how many cookies are baked every 12 minutes (the time it takes to bake a batch of cookies)?
A: 38,000 cookies every 12 minutes or 3,166 cookies per minute at full capacity
Q: In what year did Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar start offering pails of cookies?
A: 1985
Q: Tom Thumb Donuts were invented and introduced at the Minnesota State Fair in what year?
A: 1949
Q: How many dozens of mini donuts are eaten each year at the Minnesota State Fair?
A: Nearly 338,000 dozen – that’s more than 4 million individual mini donuts
Q: If measured end to end, how many miles of foot-long hot dogs are sold at the State Fair each year?
A: 35 miles of hot dogs
Q: On average, what’s the total number of corndogs typically consumed by fair guests each year?
A: 365,000 corndogs
Q: Throughout the year, how many animals are housed in the livestock barns on the fairgrounds?
A: Nearly 20,000 animals
Q: When was the first llama show held at the State Fair?
A: 1988
Q: Which largest boar was the largest of them all?
A: In 2010, crossbred swine Reggie weighed in at 1,450 pounds.
Q: What types of animals compete in a costume contest?
A: Lamas and sheep
Q: How much manure is hauled out of the livestock barns each year during the 12 days of the State Fair?
A: More than 3,000 tons of manure is hauled to Hastings, Minn., where it is composted, mixed with dirt and used as fertilizer on more than 1,000 acres of farm field.
Q: What animals shown at the State Fair are unlike other livestock because they have no proper breed names?
A: Llamas
Q: Breed names of Cinnamon, Hotot, Crème D’Argent and Mini Rex belong to what State Fair animal?
A: Rabbits
Q: Breed names of Buttercup, Dorking and Maltese belong to what State Fair animal?
A: Chickens
Q: Breed names of Giant Runt, Racing Homer and Roller belong to what State Fair animal?
A: Pigeons
Q: In what year was the current CHS Miracle of Birth Center built?
A: 2006
Q: Which class receives the most entries in the fine arts competition?
A: Class 8 – Photography
Q: At peak times, where on the fairgrounds are there as many as 400 cows milked daily?
A: The State Fair Milking Parlor in the Cattle Barn
Q: What is the most popular flavor of pies entered in the creative activities baked goods category?
A: Apple pie
Q: What color are sweepstakes or grand champion best-of-show ribbons?
A: Purple
Q: In what year did the “vegan main dish” category debut in the creative activities competition?
A: 2011
Q: What types of animals compete in a costume contest at the State Fair?
A: Llamas, alpacas and sheep
Q: How many items are entered into the creative activities competition each year?
A: More than 8,000 entries
Q: What happens to the giant pumpkins and vegetables in the agriculture horticulture competition after the fair?
A: The giant pumpkins and other vegetables are composted.
Q: 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?
A: Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Red Wing, Winona and Owatonna
Q: Were there fairs in the area before Minnesota became a state?
A: 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. The same organization continued to present fairs after Minnesota was granted statehood in 1858.
Q: What year was the Minnesota State Fair first held on the current fairgrounds?
A: 1885
Q: When did the Streetcar Arch, now residing at the West End Gate, make its first appearance at the State Fair?
A: 1934
Q: What year were gas lights first used at the State Fair, allowing the fair to operate after sunset?
A: 1899
Q: What unusual attraction debuted at the 1898 State Fair?
A: “Daylight Fireworks”
Q: 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?
A: Education authorities stated there was “more to be learned in a single day at the fair than in double the time at school or college.”
Q: What year did legendary pacer horse Dan Patch make his Minnesota State Fair debut?
A: 1903
Q: What machine revolutionized the animal agriculture process and was first exhibited at the 1908 fair?
A: A dairy cattle milking machine
Q: The first 12-day State Fair was held in what year?
A: 1975. Prior to this, the fair lasted anywhere from three days to 11 days.
Q: Why did the State Fair’s Hippodrome (now the Warner Coliseum) need to be rebuilt?
A: During the 1940s, the A.O. Smith Corporation of Milwaukee took over the original Hippodrome, 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.
Q: Why was Theodore Roosevelt only able to attend one of his two planned speaking engagements at the 1912 State Fair?
A: After giving his first speech at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4, Mr. Roosevelt suffered a severe case of laryngitis.
Q: In 1920, what was introduced to fair guests as the future of dining?
A: Reverend J.M. Batinger’s Automatic Eater, an all-you-can-eat buffet served on a rotating conveyor belt. Price: 50¢
Q: Why has the State Fair Grandstand been called “the house that Dan Patch built?”
A: The current Grandstand was constructed in 1909 to accommodate the enormous crowds attracted to harness racing by world-famous pacer horse Dan Patch.
Q: How did most of the streets on the fairgrounds get their names?
A: 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.
Q: Has the Saint Paul Winter Carnival Medallion ever been hidden on the fairgrounds?
A: The Winter Carnival Medallion has been hidden on the fairgrounds twice: First in 1953, near the Poultry Building by the 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.
Q: Which United States president gave one of his most famous speeches at the State Fair?
A: Theodore Roosevelt gave his “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick” speech in 1901 when he was serving as vice president.
Q: What special event took place at the fairgrounds on June 22, 1910?
A: The first airplane flight in Minnesota history
Q: When did State Fair attendance first top the 1 million mark?
A: On Sept. 5, 1955. Robert Karklin received a wristwatch and silver trophy for being the fair’s millionth guest.
Q: Which famous composer appeared at the fair in 1927?
A: John Philip Sousa
Q: Why wasn’t there a fair in 1946?
A: Polio epidemic
Q: In the late 1980s, world-famous aerialist Jay Cochran walked on a high-wire stretched between the tops of which two State Fair structures?
A: The 4-H Building and the Space Tower
Q: What insect was blamed for reducing attendance at the 1875 fair?
A: Grasshoppers
Q: In what year was the first statewide Princess Kay of the Milky Way contest held?
A: 1954
Q: In what year was the Bandshell constructed?
A: 1971
Q: In what year did the Agriculture Horticulture Building open?
A: 1947
Q: What is the oldest amusement at the fairgrounds?
A: Ye Old Mill, which began operating in 1915
Q: In what year was the Space Tower built?
A: 1965
Q: The 330-foot Space Tower was built in Germany and shipped to which Minnesota city before being loaded onto 20 trucks to finally arrive at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds?
A: Duluth
Q: On what day did a section of the Cattle Barn roof collapse due to sliding snow?
A: March 12, 2019
Q: What song did John Philip Sousa first perform at the State Fair in 1927?
A: Minnesota March, composed for the University of Minnesota
Q: The Ferris wheel was invented in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. What year was the first time it was at the State Fair?
A: 1896
Q: How many Little Farm Hands walk through this agricultural education exhibit each year?
A: 40,000 children
Q: What is the length of the wind turbine blade outside Eco Experience?
A: Standing at 123 feet tall, the wind blade is one of three that make up a wind turbine.
Q: How many species of fish are in the DNR pond?
A: More than 40 species
Q: How much butter is used to sculpt the likeness of Princess Kay of the Milky Way?
A: 85-90 lbs.
Q: How long does it take to complete a Princess Kay of the Milky Way butter sculpture?
A: Approximately 6 hours
Q: What is the temperature of the cooler where the Princess Kay of the Milky Way butter heads are sculpted?
A: 40 degrees
Q: Which company produces the butter for the butter sculptures?
A: Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI) in New Ulm
Q: How many steps does it take to get to the top of the DNR Fire Tower?
A: 84
Q: How many square feet is the North End Event Center?
A: 12,000 square feet
Q: How tall is the Minnesota Corn Fairstalk?
A: 24 feet
Q: How many gallons of milk did the cows in the Milking Parlor at the Moo Booth produce in 2019?
A: Almost 11,000 gallons
Q: Which State Fair day in history holds the record for total rainfall?
A: On Aug. 30, 1977, it rained 7.35 inches.
Q: What is the Minnesota State Fair’s all-time attendance record, and when was it set?
A: 2,126,551 guests attended the fair in 2019.
Q: What is the oldest standing daily attendance record?
A: The oldest standing daily attendance record is the first Sunday of the State Fair in 1994. That day, 209,969 guests attended the fair.
Q: Who broke the all-time record for the most tickets sold to a single Grandstand show?
A: In 2000, Christina Aguilera sold 22,117 tickets.
Q: Who set the attendance record in the current Grandstand seating configuration?
A: In 2013, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed to a sold-out crowd of 16,529.
Q: What are the record high and low temperatures during the fair?
A: High: 104 degrees in 1931; Record low: 33 degrees in 1890
Q: Which artist/band has made more Grandstand appearances than any other performer?
A: Alabama
Q: When was the total Grandstand attendance record set?
A: In 2017, a total of 120,383 people attended the Grandstand concert series.
Q: How tall is the Great Big Wheel?
A: 156 feet tall or 15 stories
Q: How many miles of electrical wiring are used for the Great Big Wheel?
A: 6 miles of electrical wiring
Q: How many trailers are used to transport the 200-ton Great Big Wheel?
A: 12 trailers
Q: How many gallons of water does the Ye Old Mill hold?
A: About 60,000 gallons
Q: Mascots Fairchild and Fairborne are what type of animals?
A: Gophers
Q: How are State Fair mascots Fairchild and Fairborne related?
A: Fairchild is Fairborne’s uncle.
Q: What percentage of fair guests came to the State Fair by some type of public, charter or mass transit bus operation in 2019?
A: About 46%
Q: How many acres make up the State Fairgrounds?
A: 322 acres
Q: When was the Minnesota State Fair Foundation established?
A: 2002
Q: How many tons of organic waste, such as corn cobs, lemon peels, pineapples, pickles, banana peels and more, were recycled in 2019?
A: 80 tons
Q: How many tons of glass, plastic and aluminum were collected and recycled during the 2019 fair?
A: 50 tons
Q: How many recycling receptacles, collecting plastic bottles and cups, glass and aluminum, are placed throughout the fairgrounds during the State Fair?
A: More than 800 recycling receptacles
Q: How many LED lights make up the Grandstand marquee?
A: 5,500 individual lights
Q: How fast does the Space Tower carry passengers into the skies above the State Fairgrounds?
A: The Space Tower rises at a rate of 295 feet per minute.
Q: How many steps does it take to get to the top of the five-story Giant Slide?
A: 100 steps
Q: How much state government funding does the State Fair receive?
A: The State Fair does not receive state government funding.
Q: How many employees make up the Great Minnesota Get-Together’s fair-time staff?
A: More than 2,300, plus another 10,000 hired by State Fair vendors
Q: What architectural styles can be seen among the State Fair’s historic buildings?
A: Art Deco, Beaux Arts, Classical, Early Colonial and modern
Q: What are the two oldest buildings on the fairgrounds?
A: The Progress Center and Fine Arts Center. Both buildings were built in 1907.
Q: How many blocks long is the parade route?
A: 14 blocks
Q: How many events take place on the fairgrounds during the non-fair time?
A: Approximately 220 events
Q: How many benches sit in front of the Leinie Lodge Bandshell?
A: Nearly 300
Q: How many cannas are planted around the fairgrounds?
A: 7,900
Q: Who is the longest-running entertainer at the State Fair?
A: Sean Emery, who has performed each day of the fair since 1991 and retired after the 2019 State Fair.
