See You Next Year at the Minnesota State Fair

2011 was a great year at the Minnesota State Fair! We can't wait to see what the fair has to offer next year!

We will see you guys back in 2012! We can't wait for the 2012 Minnesota State Fair!

We have some goals for you in the fair 'off season'. Get your tickets early and let's ramp up the attendance! We are very competitive and want 2012 to be the most-attended fair ever!

2011 Minnesota State Fair Attendance

The State Fair made this year's event the third-best-attended Minnesota State Fair in history with 1,769,872 guests! That mean there have only been two other years with more people at the Great Minnesota Get-Together!

The fair set a record for second-Sunday daily attendance. On September 4, 229,943 people came through the gates. This year's Labor Day weekend was easily the best-attended ever with 600,332 people visiting the fair in just three years!

Wow Minnesota! Way to go... no one can dare say we don't know how to party! Next year, let's try for No. 1!

Miscellaneous Things You Want to Know about the Minnesota State Fair

The Minnesota State Fair is known for its... ahem creative food choices! Nearly two dozen foods debuted at the 2011 fair.

Some of the newbies include (ready for it?!) the Breakfast Lollipop; Carnitas Asian Fusion Tacos; Chan's teriyaki chicken on-a-stick; chocolate-covered jalapenos on-a-stick; Coushari rice with lentils; crab fritters; Dirt Dessert; fresh fruit wraps; the Grilled Yankee Apple Pie & Chocolate Sandwich; Jamaican Jerk Fries; the Mexican Horchata drink; Minneapple Pie; Northwoods Salad on-a-stick; Pham's Chow Fun; pizza kabobs on-a-stick; pretzel dogs; Southside Rib Tips; Spring Grove Soda Pop; Starberi Frozen yogurt; sweet corn ice cream; T-Bonz chicken pitas; and White Razzie Puppies on-a-stick.

In total, vendors served up more than 450 different types of food, more than 60 of which were on-a-stick!

Can't wait to see what vendors come up with next year!

Minnesota State Fiar App Rocked

The Minnesota State Fair Launched its free App for iPhone and Android smartphones. The App was very successful and resulted in nearly 100,000 downloads!

Talk about a successful App! Did you download it? If you haven't yet, you better for next year. The fair is guaranteed to be even bigger and better next year!

Sold Out Granstand Shows

There were plenty of sold out Grandstand shows at the Minnesota State Fair this year. Sold out shows included Def Leppard and Heart; Toby Keith, Eric Church and JT Hodges; and Train, Maroon 5 and Matt Nathanson.

So... basically what we're telling you is all the best shows were 'sold out'. Not so fast though, a couple secondary markets had tickets available, including Ticket King! Tickets were reasonably priced for such great events. Next time make sure to check out Ticket King to get all the tickets you want on even 'sold out' shows!

Minnesota Has Even More Talent with the Giant Sing Along 2011

The Minnesota State Fair presents the best 12 days of summer. For 12 hours on each of those 12 days, a field of 32 microphones created what the Great Minnesota Get-Together is all about.

The Giant Sing Along brought fair guests of all ages together as friends, families and soloists crowded the mics. The fan-favorite appeared to be the classic, "Don't Stop Believin'," by Journey.

Minnesota's Got Talent

Sixty-one counties in the great state of Minnesota sent contestants to the Fair's County Fair Talent Contest. The contest is held over 10 days at Family Fair in Baldwin Park. The winners of the contest are as follows:

• Open Division 1st Place: Sher-Bounce Crew, Sherburne County - "Wonderland" dance performance



• Teen Division 1st Place: Angela Steele, Isanti County - "I Can't Do It Alone" vocal and dance performance



• Preteen Division 1st Place: Josie Nelson, Norman County - "Sunshine" vocal and guitar solo

The best amateur talent sent shockwaves of amazement through the Grandstand crowd of nearly 10,000 at the 38th annual State Fair Amateur Talent Contest Finals on September 4. Those winners are:

• Open Division 1st Place: Connor Engstrom, Mountain Lake - "Rise of the Phoenix" original guitar performance



• Teen Division 1st Place: Tori Adams, Edina - "Time To Say Goodbye" vocal solo



• Preteen Division 1st Place: Jose Nelson, Alexandria - "Sunshine" vocal and guitar solo

Congratulations, Minnesota - you've clearly got talent!