7 days ago
Final preparations underway for 2025 Minnesota State Fair
It's crunch time at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
"Vendors are moving their trailers in, we're all getting ready. The fairgrounds are being prepared to welcome our guests in just two short weeks," fair spokesperson Maria Hayden said. "We've got nearly 300 different food vendors, over 1,600 different menu items, and then we've got hundreds of different shopping vendors, exhibit booths."
For Pickledog, the work began a while back.
"We've gotta start a couple months before. Start talking about all your product and new things that you're doing on the stand. Or getting your product involved so it gets here on time," creator Gary said. "Every year's just getting better and better. More people. It's a wonderful fair."
Before the Root Beer Hut serves up refreshments, the booth needs a little refreshment of its own.
"It gets really dirty over the winter so we're out cleaning and then we're going to paint," Loretta Sunderland said. "And then the next step, we're going to bring out the equipment."
Loretta and David Sunderland's Root Beer Hut has been in business for 55 years, something their family takes a lot of pride in.
"Our grandkids say, 'Oh, this is our great-grandfather's recipe of root beer,' so they just think it's cool that we're selling something that belongs to our family," Loretta Sunderland said.
For Matt Cranston, of the Flowering Onions booth, the Great Minnesota Get-Together lives up to its name.
"My brother has a stand here, my daughters have a stand here, nephew has one," Cranston said. "Everyone knows each other and some great, great relationships that we've built here. Some we only see once a year, here."
Starting early makes all the difference
"We've got two weeks to get it all set up because the last four days, boy, there's a lot of people here," Cranston said. "It's just great to get it all done."
