For the third year in a row, AARP Minnesota is showcasing four local musicians and asking fairgoers to vote for their favorites. This year's winner will be announced on Tuesday, Sept. 3, and will receive a $3,000 prize.

This week’s Friday Five revisits some of the most memorable musical moments from the Minnesota State Fair. Rap verses are thrown down on the Sky Ride, local music heroes visit the MPR booth, and a Current host teams up with one of soul’s greatest singers for a classic Fair ride. André Cymone live on The…

It’s amazing what diverse themes Minnesotans manage to fit into a single wall of the Horticulture Building each year at the Minnesota State Fair. Crop art has become one of the Fair’s most famous exhibits, as Gopher State residents pay tribute to the famous, the infamous, the ordinary, and the extraordinary in the form of…

Let’s go crazy! Attendees at the Minnesota State Fair on the first day of what looks to be another record-breaking run didn’t need any encouragement, but there was Prince’s music regardless, infusing a dose of funk into the heart of the iconic Horticulture Building. Each year, that space is used for elaborate arrangements that showcase…

By the presumed popular demand of the 1,242 people who read my 2018 guide, it’s back and fresh for 2k19! For actual information about these dishes, click on their names. For more new Minnesota State Fair foods, see MPR News. Bada Bing Sandwich Two guys. One sings Sinatra, the other does Dino. Pianos? Dueling, baby!…

If the long lines inside the Minnesota State Fairground’s Agriculture Horticulture Building are evidence enough, then it is safe to say that Minnesotans love to look at crop art. If you plan to hop in line and take a peek for yourself, bring some cheese curds: the line moves slowly. People move step-by-step to get…

Despite having grown up in Minnesota, I only started going to the State Fair three years ago. The Fair is full of music — but it can be hard to even get Minnesotans to clap along to a song, much less get up and dance. When it came to Tropical Zone Orchestra’s performance on Friday,…

The Miracle of Birth center is easily one of my favorite parts of the fair; baby animals are irresistibly cute. This year as I was visiting the barn for the second time I noticed that nearly all of the babies had little name plaques on their pens. Many of the babies had been given names that…

Minnesota band Now Now stopped at the MPR booth at the Minnesota State Fair to perform a live set as part of Oake and Riley in the Afternoon. Between songs, the band members talked about their upcoming tour plans and bonded with Brian Oake over their shared roots in the Twin Cities area's northern suburbs.

This year, the State Fair debuted a new venue on the north end: the Hangar. The building, which used to be the Pet Center, has been transformed into a hub for food, craft beer, and live entertainment. The Hangar also nods to the building’s history as the location of the State Fair Aircraft Shows in…