Minnesota Public Radio, which started reporting from the Minnesota State Fair as far back as 1972, began a yearly tradition of live broadcasting from its booth at the corner of Judson and Nelson in 1991 (taking over the old WLOL-FM spot). The location has since become an important community spot for sharing ideas, intercultural representation, and topics unique to the Fair itself. MPR was the first media organization to have an entire day dedicated to them in the form of MPR Day, held the Friday before Labor Day in Dan Patch Park (formerly known as Carousel Park). The MPR booth has featured Gubernatorial debates, appearances by senators and important public figures, and live performances by a wide range of local musicians and writers. MPR hosts Gary Eichten, Cathy Wurzer, Kerri Miller, Bob Potter, Beth Friend, and numerous others, have filled the air over the past three decades with live Fair broadcasts that both informed and entertained. There was also the longtime broadcast of the Morning Show hosted by Jim Ed Poole and Dale Connelly, bringing their distinctive humor to the street intersection.
The Minnesota State Fair’s permanent 320-acre home along Snelling Avenue in St. Paul contains historical buildings which host a slew of exhibitors, plants, animals, arts, and plenty of jam. Big outdoor attractions include a multitude of food, Midway carnival rides, livestock (with smells), and daily shows and grandstand performances. It’s a busy, busy 12 days that MPR Archive has attempted to capture in this audio collection as varied as food on a stick. A report on Little Irvy, the freeze-dried whale…check! Andean folk band…indeed! Differences of the Pronto pup and the Poncho Dog…got it! Former U.S. Senator Rudy Boschwitz pitching his milk…yep! Here is your audio ticket to those stories…and so much more.
August 27, 2009 - The Minnesota State Fair's many buildings are pretty familiar ground to long-time fairgoers, but there are nooks and crannies in some of them that many folks never get to see. Fair official Briana Schuette takes Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer on a tour of some secret places on the fairgrounds.
September 1, 2009 - Commentator Peter Smith shares his view that he can do without going to the State Fair….from the smells, the people, and the sounds; it’s all an overload of sensations.
September 3, 2009 - Well, the State Fair put its H1N1 flu action plan to work today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Minnesota Department of Health, schools and employers need to be similarly ready for the virus as the fall flu season takes hold. So, we asked our regular medical analyst, Dr. Jon Hallberg, to tell us what we all should prepare for this fall when it comes to H1N1 — and the seasonal flu.
September 4, 2009 - Garrison Keillor, host of the radio show "A Prairie Home Companion", joins Gary Eichten at the Minnesota State Fair for this Midday program.
September 7, 2009 - MPR’s Ambar Espinoza reports on a GOP State Fair Forum. The Republican gubernatorial candidates discussed various topics, including healthcare, taxes, and education.
August 30, 2010 - The Minnesota State Fair is aptly considered the “Great Minnesota Eat Together,” known for its culinary novelties. 2010 is no different, with everything from pig ears to mashed-potatoes-on-a-stick on the menu. Tim Nelson takes us on a quick tour of this summer's specials…including camel on a stick.
September 6, 2010 - The Fair is older than Minnesota itself and it's always been a place to celebrate our agricultural roots...but it's also been a place to revel in the unusual. Author Peg Guilfoyle dug up some memories from nearly a century ago.
August 25, 2011 - Local humorist, author, and playwright Kevin Kling shares a tale of taking a visiting cousin to the Minnesota State Fair. It is quite a day.
September 2, 2011 - Garrison Keillor, the host of public radio's A Prairie Home Companion, joins MPR's Gary Eichten on the Carousel Park Stage at the Minnesota State Fair to share stories and answer questions from the audience about his long career as a broadcaster and author.
August 30, 2012 - The Daily Circuit’s Tom Weber visits a Erin Daninger, a former Princess Kay of the Milky Way finalist, to find out what happens to a 90 lb butter head sculpture after the Minnesota State Fair ends. Weber finds himself being taken behind a famm shed, where Daninger’s butter head sits in a chest freezer…next to pulled pork. Weber checks in on other ‘heads’ as well.