Thousands of tiles replace state fair commemorative benches

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — It's pretty hard to miss, positioned just outside gate nine at the Minnesota State Fair.

The 40-foot-long by eight-foot-tall 'Welcome Wall' has space for 5,600 personalized tiles.

"We know that Minnesotans love the State Fair so much and they want to be a part of it," said Mary Chung, Executive Director for the Minnesota State Fair Foundation.

The tiles are replacing the discontinued commemorative bench and brick programs. They simply ran out of space, Chung said.

This year, the 'Welcome Wall' is mostly an empty canvas, with only about 80 personalized tiles from State Fair Foundation volunteers and fair employees, like Glory Duda's mom Jennine.

"She loves to say 'not my circus, not my monkeys' during the fair," said Duda. "There's so many things that happen during the fair where they're like 'is this your problem?' and the answer is 'not my circus, not my monkeys'."

Fairgoers can purchase personalized tiles for next year's 2025 fair. Funds go right back to the fairgrounds, preserving historic buildings and helping fund infrastructure projects.

"We want something that's there for when those special times come up, when someone gets married and wants it commemorated on here, or someone wants to honor their loved one," said Chung.

State Fair Foundation officials hope it's the start of a new, longstanding fair tradition. 

"This is where that can happen for years to come," said Chung.