Joe Kimball is a longtime journalist and author of the book, “Secrets of the Congdon Mansion: The Unofficial Guide to Glensheen and the Congdon Murders.”
Never one for job-hopping, Jerry Hammer worked at every State Fair since he was 15, starting with a position in the greenhouse and working his way up to the top job.
Writer and State Fair aficianado Joe Kimball was shocked to find the World’s Greatest French Fries is no longer operating. Fish tacos are in its place, and it’s just one of many vendor transitions at the fair this year.
Tens of thousands wandered the fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, just north of St. Paul. Official first day attendance not yet announced, but vendors and fair officials said it looked like a giant opener.
My streak of writing about the Minnesota State Fair for the last 40 years continues. Sort of.
It was “a strange time for the news, nationally,” says Jim Russell, KTCA news director at the time of ‘Almanac’s debut. “‘Just the facts, ma’am,’ wasn’t cutting it. … So we ended up trying to cater to those people who cared about the news.”
Press Publications, which owns 18 newspapers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, is now charging $25 to publish letters that endorse or oppose a candidate or ballot measure — a policy that has become increasingly common.
Dennis Larson retired last year after 18 years in charge of fair food and beverages. Now he’s a free agent roaming the grounds in search of food, like the rest of us.
Sen. Bernie Sanders was at the fair Saturday, and Andrew Yang’s campaign will also have a presence. But only three of the Democrats running for president have separate booths on the fairgrounds.
Deep-Fried Alligator came to the fair with some fanfare in 1997, and it’s still going strong. Blarney Beans, however, were introduced in 2012 and have disappeared.
This year, the third generation of Old Millers — John and Marna Keenan, who are in their 70s — enjoyed their first truly relaxing summer ever, after the family sold the historic ride in January to the State Fair.
Starting around 2008, the fair media team realized that they were sitting on some valuable information. Hence the birth of the annual new food rollout.
The 104-year-old carousel continues to operate its normal summer hours, though many volunteers departed after Colleen Murphy Roth was recently ousted as director of the nonprofit that runs the attraction.
MinnPost is marking its 10th anniversary with a series called 10 at 10, a look back at the stories that have stuck with us.
While fair-goers will have to decide for themselves about the political utility of the booths, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to critique the important things: style, location and stuff.
A rundown of events around the state celebrating the 4th of July.
Johnson was raised at Glensheen, the Congdon mansion in Duluth, and lived her adult life in Racine, Wisconsin. She believed her sister, Marjorie, was involved in the murder of their mother.
The Fellows will receive up to $100,000 to develop leadership skills that they can then use to develop their communities. This year’s group includes many immigrants and a selection from North Minneapolis.
Twenty eight years ago, Peter Boehm and Nancy Peterson organized an effort to save the historic carousel. Now the couple is quietly stepping down.
Two long-time political volunteers discuss what they see from the DFL and GOP booths.
As a public service to Minnesota, we checked out every single political party booth at the fair — mostly so you don’t have to.
