Minnesota State Fair is “The Great Minnesota Get-Together.” It is the largest state fair in the United States by average daily attendance. It is also the second-largest state fair in the United States by total attendance, trailing only the State Fair of Texas, which cheats by generally running twice as long as the Minnesota State Fair. The Minnesota State Fair was named the best state fair in the United States in 2015 by readers of USA Today.
For those of you who are going to the Minnesota State Fair before it closes on Labor Day you might want to check out a few Nordic treasures:
Nordic Waffles
New at the State Fair is our favorite waffle entrepreneur, Stine Aasland. Her stand is located in the West End Plaza where you can find fresh-made waffle wraps in seven varieties: All-Day Breakfast (egg, bacon & cheddar); Berries & Cream (raspberry & strawberry mixture with vanilla cream); Cinna-Sugar Butter (cinnamon, sugar & butter); Slammin’ Salmon On-A-Stick (Norwegian smoked salmon with cream cheese & green onions); S’More (marshmallow crème, crumbled graham crackers & Nutella); Turkey Chipotle Club (turkey, bacon & mixed greens with Sriracha mayo sauce); and Vegetarian Viking (black bean veggie burger, cheddar cheese, mixed greens & chipotle sauce).
Lingonberry Ice Cream Stand
Featuring lingonberry ice cream and ice cream soda. It is at the SE corner of Carnes Ave. & Underwood Street. Featured here. And if you can’t get enough lingonberry, there is …
Lingonberry Lager
A Minnesota State Fair exclusive from 612brew and being served at COASTERS on the Southeast corner of Carnes Ave. & Liggett St. In making this Lingonberry Lager, 612Brew says they “simply wanted to honor our Scandinavian roots and our love of beer at the same time!! Skol! (Cheers!).” They didn’t need to translate “skol” for us.
Lynn’s Lefse
On the southside of the Food Building you will find Lynn’s Lefse where you can get lefse as well as Swedish meatballs (on a stick in a bowl or in a blanket – meaning wrapped with lefse). And, as with lingonberries, if you can’t get enough lefse, there is …
Uffda Ale
Uffda Ale a specialty brew produced by Beaver Island Brewery in St. Cloud and using lefse as a key ingredient. Uffda Ale “pays homage to Minnesota’s Norsk traditions, this easy-drinking ale’s crisp, refreshing and slightly tart flavors harmonize with honey aromas to make it the ultimate Norwegian-inspired session beer. Skøl!” UffDa Ale will be available at Giggles’ Campfire Grill at the Minnesota State Fair. Giggle’s is located Cooper Street, close to where the Sky Glider lands on Murphy Avenue.
Have a great time at the fair and no matter where you are — enjoy the last weeks of summer. We are gearing up for fall and have a lot of fun events, sales, and classes for you at Ingebretsen’s.