September 30, 2022 - MPR’s Tim Nelson profiles jazz pioneer Oscar Pettiford. Born 100 years ago and raised in Minnesota, Pettiford changed the sound of American music. He got his start on the stages of the Twin Cities, helping create a "Minneapolis sound" long before Prince. Pettiford’s innovations made him one of the most influential bass players of the bebop era. A century after his birth, that legacy endures.
August 30, 2019 - The Minnesota State Fair broke with long tradition in 2019. After asking artists like Harry Potter book cover illustrator Mary Grandpre and muralist Tacoumba Aiken to portray the fair, a photographer was selected for this year’s commemorative art for the first time.
January 21, 2019 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports on the Minnesota State Fair’s biggest expansion since the West End Market opened in 2014. A new exhibit hall and entrance plaza will greet fairgoers in August, when the $16,000,000 project is scheduled to open.
August 28, 2018 - MPR’s Tim Nelson takes a look at Monty's Traveling Reptile Show, a Nelson Street landmark on the Minnesota State Fair grounds and longtime favorite for many fairgoers. But it's different this year. As of last April, there's no more Monty. Nelson shares a story about the passing of the torch…or maybe the heat lamp…at the fair.
October 27, 2017 - MPR’s Tim Nelson takes a look at Dai Thao, a St. Paul city council member and a former Hmong refugee, who is running for mayor. Thao shares his personal history and political platform.
August 23, 2017 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports on a newly arrived attraction to the Minnesota State Fair….Great Big Wheel. The 36 six-seat gondola wheel promises to be a true spectacle on the fair's north end, especially at night. It replaces what used to be the fair's Machinery Hill.
April 14, 2017 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports that the original deep fried cheese curd stand at the Minnesota State Fair is going away. The founder, who started the craze in 1975, says he's too old to keep it going and the State Fair decided not to let his family take it over. Fair officials say they're looking for something new.
April 14, 2016 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports on expansion plans at the Minnesota State Fair. The architects that created the West End Market for the Fair in 2014 showed off a makeover for the north end of the fairgrounds. The project includes a new exhibit hall, a more intimate amphitheater, and some changes to favorites like the Giant Sing Along and the Pet Center.
December 4, 2015 - All Things Considered presents an MPR Special Report on the shooting of Jamar Clark in Minneapolis. Segment includes a chronology of shooting, history of Minneapolis police shootings, community reaction, and the many questions that have followed in Clark’s death.
August 6, 2015 - MPR’s Tim Nelson profiles the State Fair’s Ye Old Mill as preparations are made for it’s 100th year in operation. For some the ride is romantic; for others it is simply three-and-a-half minutes of peace, solitude, quiet amongst the hustle and bustle.