The jewel of the Midway is the Gondola Ferris wheel. Minnesota’s first Ferris wheel debuted at the fair in 1896 and was 60 feet tall. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
As the second-largest fair in the nation, the Minnesota State Fair attracted a record 1,943,719 visitors this year. From its birth in 1859, it has been embedded in Minnesota’s culture and history. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas senior Kirsten White laughs with friends as she enjoys a Pronto Pup, a Minnesota State Fair staple. The first Pronto Pup was sold at the fair in 1946; 25 million have since been sold. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Riders drift over the state fair grounds on the Sky Glider. Since the ride opened 16 years ago, riders have been dropping everything from undergarments to corn cobs onto roofs below. Fair officials hope the undergarments are extras brought solely to drop while on the ride. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas Junior Matthew Larsen tries a fudge puppy for the first time. The fudge puppy is a waffle on a stick with various toppings, available at a booth outside of the food building. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar’s newest location is on Randall and Underwood located on the northern side of the grounds. The goal in opening the third stand was to shorten lines at other stands by spreading Sweet Martha’s more evenly throughout the fairgrounds. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas alum Tom Kuchta prepares for his first bite of fried cookie dough on a stick. The fried cookie dough has not been a hit at the fair since its introduction in 2011– many reviews claim the texture of the dough is lost when deep fried. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
State fair mascots Fairchild and nephew Fairborne ride around the fair meeting fans and posing for pictures. This year Fairchild celebrated his 50th birthday and could be seen walking the daily parade at 2 p.m. with Fairborne. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
St. Thomas seniors Katie Repka (left), Maddie Maxwell (center) and Emma Bassier (right) pose for a picture in front of late Minnesota icon Prince. The Minnesota State Fair remembered Prince on Friday, Aug. 26 with a special firework display after the grandstand show, and purple lighting on prominent buildings and rides throughout the fair grounds. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Every afternoon in front of O’Gara’s Irish Pub, a bagpipe player performs authentic Irish tunes to the passing audience on the corner of Dan Patch and Cosgrove Avenues. In 2010 O’Gara’s replaced St. Bernard’s Dining Hall at the prized location near the main gates of the fair. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Server Ben Andrews hands bacon wrapped tater tots to a customer from the Tot Boss food truck. Tot Boss was a new vendor at the fair this year and the bacon wrapped tater tots were a crispy, savory bite of Minnesotan breakfast. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Natalie Hall can be reached at hall0224@stthomas.edu.