I’ve entered my family recipe for pickled watermelon rind in the Minnesota State Fair ever since I learned that they had their own category (Watermelon Pickles, Sweet). It took me 8 years, but in 2016 I won a blue ribbon and that sweet, sweet prize money ($7) In the way you might find a castle or signature ride at the center of other fairs, at the beating heart of the Minnesota State Fair is the Creative Activities building. Home to rows of canned goods, pies, traditional Scandinavian cookies (I don’t even know what those are), and crafts. Other things that I have…
Tag: mn state fair
On Minnesota State Fair engagement photos and man’s quest for meaning Here’s what I will say about the Minnesota State Fair: at this ridiculous, crowded, farm-animal filled, hot-dish-on-a-stick gathering, I see mankind’s quest for meaning. I love pouring over the seed art – tiny dots of alfalfa and canola seeds, placed one at a time into a portrait of Prince; thousands of ears of corn, hand selected based on criteria I don’t understand. One year there was a ballgown knit of grey yarn and covered in sock monkeys, as though they wanted to escape the dress and join the party. Row…