Tuesday, September 8, 2009
St. Paul, MN – It's now official. The 2009 Minnesota State Fair set an all-time record attendance for the 12-day run of the fair. This year's attendance ended at 1,790,497. This total was 27,521 above the previous record of 1,762,976 set in 2001.
Two all-time single day attendance records were set this year, 114,439 on the first day of the fair, Thursday, Aug. 27 and 129,423 on Tuesday,Sept. 1. More than 97,000 additional guests visited the 2009 fair as compared to 2008.
The Minnesota State Fair’s agricultural and creative competitions drew close to 37,000 entries this year, with competitors vying for a share of ribbons, trophies and more than $900,000 in prize money. Competitions included events for livestock, school projects, dog trials, baked and canned goods, fruit, vegetables, crafts, bee and honey products, fine arts, flowers, butter and cheese.
The Fine Arts Center featured the largest juried art show in the state. The People’s Choice Award went to “Johnny Jumpup,” an oil on masonite painting by Anna Morton of Braham. Joseph Ring of Minneapolis, won the Kids’ Choice Award for his fused glass piece entitled “Etude in Glass 2.”
More than $315,000 were raised at the 4-H Purple Ribbon Auction to benefit 4-H programs.
In open class, supreme champion titles were awarded for a third year to the best grand champions out of all beef and dairy breeds. Supreme Dairy Female went to a Milking Shorthorn owned and bred by Jessica Achen of Cherrywood Farm in Sauk Centre, Minn. A Simmental owned by Amanda Eberspacher of AJE Cattle Co. in Marshall, Minn. was awarded Supreme Beef Female. A Charolais owned by Flying JRL of Finlayson and Ecklund Charolais & WDZ Herds won Supreme Beef Bull.
The Douglas K. Baldwin Award for FFA livestock show participation and leadership went to A. J. Krieg of Springfield, Minn.
Elizabeth Olson of Hutchinson was crowned the 56th Princess Kay of the Milky Way.
The award-winning CHS Miracle of Birth Center welcomed dozens of baby chicks and ducklings into the world along with 170 other newborn animals including 125 piglets, 12 calves and 33 lambs.
High school marching bands from Minnesota and Wisconsin competed in the State Fair Daily Mall Parade. Rosemount High School won Class A honors, Waseca took first in Class B and Chequamegon School District won in the Class C division.
Grandstand attendance was 90,807 (not including Amateur Talent Contest Finals). The Kid Rock & Lynyrd Skynryd, and REO Speedwagon, STYX and 38 Special shows both sold out.
More than 6,000 fans cheered on the best amateur talent in the state at the 37th annual State Fair Amateur Talent Contest Finals Sept. 6 at the Grandstand. Winners were - Open Division: First place went to Sedra Bistodeau of Princeton for her violin solo “Hungarian Rhapsody #2.” Stillwater bluegrass trio “Brohan” took second place with the song “Soldier.” Third place was awarded to Aria Stiles of Apple Valley for her violin solo “Violin Medley.” Teen Division: Liz Redpath of Edina took first place performing vocal solo “The Doll Song.” Second place was awarded to Nathaniel Irvin from Maple Grove who performed a vocal solo entitled “Santa Fe.” Third place went to Kirby Anderson of Eden Prairie for his guitar solo entitled “Tall Fiddler.” Preteen Division: First place went to Julius Andrews IV of Coon Rapids for his vocal solo “I’ll Be There.” Selena Brills from Blaine took second place with vocal solo “Cowboy Sweetheart.” Third place was awarded to Little Canada’s Matthew Wong for the piano solo “Tarantella.”
Kim Magee of Mounds View and Daniel Murray of Blue Earth were the overall female and male Milk Run winners with times of 17:37 and 16:27 respectively.
The 2009 Outstanding Senior Citizen Awards were presented to Marge Pribyl of Elysian in Le Sueur County and Wayne Sandee of Mankato in Blue Earth County. A ceremony was held at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell on Thursday, Sept. 3 to honor 102 seniors representing 55 Minnesota counties.
New additions to this year’s State Fair included: FAN Central, an exhibit dedicated to Minnesota sports teams; free Western and English Horse Shows and high school rodeos; Dinosaur World, a prehistoric exhibit; the first International Cold Climate Wine Competition; ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show; a redesigned Moo Booth in the Cattle Barn; and an eco home built for an urban lot setting. As a new service this year, the Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency administered 4,788 seasonal flu shots at the Health Fair 11 exhibit.
The 2009 fair featured more than 15 new foods including beignets, brat burgers, breakfast and open-faced grilled Spam sandwiches, deep-fried Norwegian banana splits, the Fry Dog, pot roast sundaes, Texas steak dinner on-a-stick, peach glazed pig cheeks, sunfish filets, swedish meatballs and gravy, the Tornado Potato, chicken rice bowls, chocolate-covered watermelon and caprese salad on-a-stick. In total, vendors served up more than 500 different foods, 70 of which were on-a-stick.
The 2010 Minnesota State Fair will run Aug. 26 through Labor Day, Sept. 6.
For more information visit http://www.mnstatefair.org , call (651) 288-4400 or e-mail fairinfo@mnstatefair.org
Source : hometownsource.com
Two all-time single day attendance records were set this year, 114,439 on the first day of the fair, Thursday, Aug. 27 and 129,423 on Tuesday,Sept. 1. More than 97,000 additional guests visited the 2009 fair as compared to 2008.
The Minnesota State Fair’s agricultural and creative competitions drew close to 37,000 entries this year, with competitors vying for a share of ribbons, trophies and more than $900,000 in prize money. Competitions included events for livestock, school projects, dog trials, baked and canned goods, fruit, vegetables, crafts, bee and honey products, fine arts, flowers, butter and cheese.
The Fine Arts Center featured the largest juried art show in the state. The People’s Choice Award went to “Johnny Jumpup,” an oil on masonite painting by Anna Morton of Braham. Joseph Ring of Minneapolis, won the Kids’ Choice Award for his fused glass piece entitled “Etude in Glass 2.”
More than $315,000 were raised at the 4-H Purple Ribbon Auction to benefit 4-H programs.
In open class, supreme champion titles were awarded for a third year to the best grand champions out of all beef and dairy breeds. Supreme Dairy Female went to a Milking Shorthorn owned and bred by Jessica Achen of Cherrywood Farm in Sauk Centre, Minn. A Simmental owned by Amanda Eberspacher of AJE Cattle Co. in Marshall, Minn. was awarded Supreme Beef Female. A Charolais owned by Flying JRL of Finlayson and Ecklund Charolais & WDZ Herds won Supreme Beef Bull.
The Douglas K. Baldwin Award for FFA livestock show participation and leadership went to A. J. Krieg of Springfield, Minn.
Elizabeth Olson of Hutchinson was crowned the 56th Princess Kay of the Milky Way.
The award-winning CHS Miracle of Birth Center welcomed dozens of baby chicks and ducklings into the world along with 170 other newborn animals including 125 piglets, 12 calves and 33 lambs.
High school marching bands from Minnesota and Wisconsin competed in the State Fair Daily Mall Parade. Rosemount High School won Class A honors, Waseca took first in Class B and Chequamegon School District won in the Class C division.
Grandstand attendance was 90,807 (not including Amateur Talent Contest Finals). The Kid Rock & Lynyrd Skynryd, and REO Speedwagon, STYX and 38 Special shows both sold out.
More than 6,000 fans cheered on the best amateur talent in the state at the 37th annual State Fair Amateur Talent Contest Finals Sept. 6 at the Grandstand. Winners were - Open Division: First place went to Sedra Bistodeau of Princeton for her violin solo “Hungarian Rhapsody #2.” Stillwater bluegrass trio “Brohan” took second place with the song “Soldier.” Third place was awarded to Aria Stiles of Apple Valley for her violin solo “Violin Medley.” Teen Division: Liz Redpath of Edina took first place performing vocal solo “The Doll Song.” Second place was awarded to Nathaniel Irvin from Maple Grove who performed a vocal solo entitled “Santa Fe.” Third place went to Kirby Anderson of Eden Prairie for his guitar solo entitled “Tall Fiddler.” Preteen Division: First place went to Julius Andrews IV of Coon Rapids for his vocal solo “I’ll Be There.” Selena Brills from Blaine took second place with vocal solo “Cowboy Sweetheart.” Third place was awarded to Little Canada’s Matthew Wong for the piano solo “Tarantella.”
Kim Magee of Mounds View and Daniel Murray of Blue Earth were the overall female and male Milk Run winners with times of 17:37 and 16:27 respectively.
The 2009 Outstanding Senior Citizen Awards were presented to Marge Pribyl of Elysian in Le Sueur County and Wayne Sandee of Mankato in Blue Earth County. A ceremony was held at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell on Thursday, Sept. 3 to honor 102 seniors representing 55 Minnesota counties.
New additions to this year’s State Fair included: FAN Central, an exhibit dedicated to Minnesota sports teams; free Western and English Horse Shows and high school rodeos; Dinosaur World, a prehistoric exhibit; the first International Cold Climate Wine Competition; ShenaniGuns! Comedy Wild West Show; a redesigned Moo Booth in the Cattle Barn; and an eco home built for an urban lot setting. As a new service this year, the Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency administered 4,788 seasonal flu shots at the Health Fair 11 exhibit.
The 2009 fair featured more than 15 new foods including beignets, brat burgers, breakfast and open-faced grilled Spam sandwiches, deep-fried Norwegian banana splits, the Fry Dog, pot roast sundaes, Texas steak dinner on-a-stick, peach glazed pig cheeks, sunfish filets, swedish meatballs and gravy, the Tornado Potato, chicken rice bowls, chocolate-covered watermelon and caprese salad on-a-stick. In total, vendors served up more than 500 different foods, 70 of which were on-a-stick.
The 2010 Minnesota State Fair will run Aug. 26 through Labor Day, Sept. 6.
For more information visit http://www.mnstatefair.org , call (651) 288-4400 or e-mail fairinfo@mnstatefair.org
Source : hometownsource.com
