Ghosts At The Minnesota State Fair? Archiver Says So

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- You may not think of the state fairgrounds as a "Great Minnesota Ghost Together," but at a place with so much history, it's not surprising to hear there are ghost stories aplenty.

"I think all of our ghosts anywhere at the State Fair are good folks.  I mean, they're at the fair, you have to have fun, right?"

Keri Huber is the archivist for the Minnesota State Fair. She knows all the ghost stories.  Her office is in the Administration Building, near what used to be the apartment of longtime Minnesota State Fair General Manager Douglas Baldwin, who died in 1962. Huber said Baldwin's ghost has been known to keep other fair employees on their toes.

The fair's coliseum and cattle barn have also been the frequent haunts of some fun loving ghosts.

"A man who has worked at the coliseum was playing some music in the cattle barn," Huber said.  "There was nobody around, but all of a sudden he saw three people dancing, one in overalls."

The song that awoke those spirits?  "Elvira" by the Oak Ridge Boys.

But the location at the fair with the most ghost stories not surprisingly is the place which has seen the most tragedy.  No fewer than eight thrill show performers and race car drivers have been killed in front of spectators at the State Fair Grandstand. The deaths include Kitty Middleton, a famous wing walker, who died along with a pilot when their plane crashed north of the Grandstand in 1951.

Huber said many people have spotted a man standing on the roof of the Grandstand, maybe the ghost of one of the daredevils who met an untimely end.

"That would make sense," Huber said. "Because that's where they're comfortable. I could only imagine what view you would have on top of the Grandstand."

Whether or not you believe in spirits at the State Fair, Huber said not to worry.

"They're here to be playful, and still be a part of the Great Minnesota Get Together," Huber said.