Hamline Church Dining Hall celebrates 125 years at Minnesota State Fair

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota State Fair is lined with hundreds of food stands, but one of its most enduring food establishments is a brick-and-mortar sit down meal.

This year, Hamline Church Dining Hall celebrates its 125th anniversary.

"We heard a lot about it, so we started eating here and never quit," Ron Thorkelson, a Hamline fan from Granite Falls, told WCCO. "We like the food, and it hasn't changed."

Indeed, the foundation of what Hamline is about hasn't changed, even if the menu, prices and location on the fairgrounds have been modified.

The dining hall dates back to 1897 when a group of women from the Hamline Methodist Episcopal Church Ladies Aid Society originally sold sandwiches and coffee. 

Today the well-known delicacies include the Hamloaf, and new this year is blueberry pancakes courtesy of Al's in Dinkeytown.

"As food trends change, we change with it, but keep some main core things," Jan Uzlik, one of dozens of volunteers who help staff the dining hall, explained to WCCO. "Wraps became a trend so we added wraps."

Uzlik, an urgent care nurse, has been volunteering at the dining hall for more than two decades.

"I'm helping people have fun, because where I go, they don't come see me for fun," she said. "So this gives me great joy to help people have fun and joy and some pleasure in their life. We're glad everybody is here, and we're glad they come in the door. That means a lot."