Answers to your Good Questions about the Minnesota State Fair: Part 2
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. – There is so much to be curious about when it comes to our 12 days of fun at the Minnesota State Fair.
From farm babies to butter sculptors, Heather Brown answers more of your Good Questions about the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
We'll start with Curt from Bardal: He wants to know: Why is the largest boar at Minnesota State Fair from Iowa?
Some of the competitions at the fair are open, which means they don't have to be from Minnesota.
Guy from Minneapolis asked: How much is the butter sculptor paid?
I hope a lot -- he has to do 10 sculptures in 40 degrees. The Dairy Farmers declined to give out exact numbers, but did say they work out a contract each year.
Alysha from Hastings wanted to know: How many babies are born at the Miracle of Birth?
The answer is 200 – but Heather from Minneapolis has a follow-up: Are most of them piglets? Yes! And in fact, 15 were born at the fair on Tuesday alone. Also, about one calf is born each day, as well as two or three lambs.
Amy from St. Paul asked: How many memorial benches are at the fairgrounds?
The answer is 1,900. You can get one for $2,500, and the money goes to the Minnesota State Fair Foundation to make improvements to the fair.
Addie from St. Paul wanted to know: Who cleans up the manure?
The FFA volunteers are very busy cleaning out the barns, but the fair's sanitation department also goes day and night. Think about it -- you got horses, cows, pigs, goats, llamas. It all ends up being 3,400 tons of manure. It gets hauled to Hastings -- where it's mixed with dirt to use as fertilizer.
Mike from Forest Lake: Why don't the fish eat each other at the Fish Pond?
Well, Mike, maybe you just haven't seen it. It happens, but it's more likely to come in the early mornings or evenings. But it actually doesn't happen as often as you'd think. That's because this water is cold -- 53 degrees -- so the fish here aren't as active as they'd be in a lake. Don't worry, they can handle it. They're Minnesotan after all.
RELATED: Answers to your Good Questions about the Minnesota State Fair: Part 1