Answers to your Good Questions about the Minnesota State Fair: Part 1
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. – In the run-up to the fair, we always get our fair share of Good Questions about the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
So, Heather Brown found answers to some of your questions, and a few of her own.
We keep hearing the fair expects pre-pandemic crowds. So, our first question is how many people is that?
The record attendance was in 2019, when 2,126,551 came through the gates. They had topped two million in 2018, too. Compare that to 1.3 million who came last year, which was the lowest attendance since 1977.
Now, to your questions. Lenny from Lonsdale wants to know: How many gallons of frying oil are used at the fair?
I had to ask around on this one: Fresh French Fries told me it uses 3,000 gallons.
MouthTrap Cheese Curds: 1,500 gallons.
The dominant supplier here sells about 16,000 gallons, so it's safe to say you get close to 20,000 gallons over the 12 days of the fair.
Pat from Blaine has a follow-up: What happens to the oil?
The vendors collect it in bins, then a company comes to recycle it when the bins get full.
Bradley from Eagan loves the ice cream at the Dairy Building, so he asked who makes it?
Sorry, Bradley -- this is a bit of a secret. All the folks at the Dairy Club would tell me is that it's a special recipe made by the Dairy Farmers of Minnesota. They make it fresh everyday, and it's only available at the fair, so get it while you can.
Ashley from Ramsey: Who does the water tower serve?
The water tower on the State Fairgrounds is run by the Saint Paul Regional Water Services. It was built back in 1986 and serves both the Falcon Heights area and the fairgrounds. The communications folks tell me they have great water pressure here.
And, this one is from Heather in Minneapolis: How many cookies can Sweet Martha pump out in a day?
Three million. And I very well might have eaten one million of them over the years.
Finally – How many times has the fair been canceled?
We know 2020, for sure. But, it's happened five others times: 1861 and 1862 during the Civil War and the U.S.-Dakota War; 1893 because of the World's Fair in Chicago; 1945 because of World War II, and then again the next year because of polio. But, this year, it's back. And, we shall see, if it's better than ever.
RELATED: Answers to your Good Questions about the Minnesota State Fair: Part 2