2016 Pioneer Press State Fair Treasure Hunt

It’s the 12 days of summer that get us all giddy, scratching our itch for old favorites like food and the livestock barns — and trekking around the Minnesota State Fair one more time. New things are great too, like the Pioneer Press #StateFairHunt — we’re letting folks know that daily clues will lead them to places or ask them to do something fun, then share a picture to Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #StateFairHunt for a chance to win a prize. For a first clue, we’re heading to old favorite the Dairy Building and the cooler where Linda Christensen sculpts 90-pound blocks of butter into the likenesses of Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her court.

Aug. 26 was “Unite in Purple” Day at the Fair, paying homage to the legendary musical icon Prince. So we ask folks to find something purple and show their pride for one of Minnesota’s greatest.

New to the Fair in 2016: bag searches at the front gates. One hundred extra screeners will keep out contraband, including beer and fireworks, and more than 300 officers are patrolling the grounds. In addition to these people, the Fair said it’s increasing the number of security cameras on the grounds to keep an eye on fairgoers.

The Midway Men’s Club, a counter-service outpost on Underwood near Dan Patch, serves some of the cheapest beer on the Fairgrounds (which, until 2007, was only 3.2-percent-alcohol, or “near,” beer). A cup at Midway is typically 25 to 50 cents less than other vendors. Plus the daily parade passes by, making this the perfect spot for an afternoon respite.

It’s hard to go very far without seeing someone playing the augmented reality game Pokemon Go on their smartphones. When the game debuted in early July, Nintendo’s stock jumped by nine percent. It’s plunged since then, but with 100 Pokestops dotting the Fairgrounds, shuffling players should be easy to spot.

On an exterior wall of the Grandstand, below the “See Grandstand Show” lights and not far from where vendors ply their wares inside, are pictures of entertainers who have walked the Grandstand Stage. That includes the band Alabama, musician Ringo Starr and blues legend B.B. King.

The newish West End Market replaced the longstanding – and well-weathered – Heritage Square back in 2014. Several of the square’s artifacts remain, including the Royal American Shows train cars just outside the market. Royal American Shows ran the Midway from 1933 to 1994, transporting rides, people and equipment on the world’s longest privately owned train.

The tree sculpture of a little girl, “Mary” (carved by Kevin Showell in 1992) is set outside the Sheep & Poultry Building. It’s one of more than 20 tree sculptures on the Fairgrounds.

We love that the Twin Cities is served by two newspapers, and happy for our colleagues who have moved across the river to the “enemy paper”! But we’re proud of our east metro roots, too, and hope you are too — enough to strike a loyal pose in front of the west metro daily’s stand near the Grandstand.

The All-You-Can-Drink booth opened at the State Fair in 1955, with glasses costing 10 cents. But in 2007, a bull got loose outside the Cattle Barn and took a trot down Judson. Narrowly missing an elderly couple and a baby stroller, it set its sights on a fire hydrant and died ramming it.

The Hamline Church Dining Hall opened in 1897 and is the oldest food vendor at the Minnesota State Fair. While it serves staples like chicken and roast beef, Hamloaf is what it’s known for.

The newest restrooms at the Fair are on the spot of formerly dingy stalls in the Mighty Kidway. With 49 toilets for men and women, another 14 are designated family/unisex, meaning they’re the perfect spot for caregivers or transgender fairgoers.