a day at the fair! a GRAND summer memory!
- Our Grand Lives
- Aug 7
- 10 min read
Updated: Sep 1
Thursday, August 7,, 2025
HELLO FRIENDS!
Are you feeling it, too?
We hope this post finds you enjoying
these waning days of summer!
Last week, we wrapped up this year’s summer series,
LET’S GO! GRAND Summer Fun!
If you are still planning to spend any remaining August days with your favorite Littles
and you are looking for ways to fill those hours with FUN, FUN, FUN,
check out one or more of our eight summer posts!
You can find them all by heading to our home page,
and scrolling through!
Today, in honor of the month of August,
we have updated and are resharing
a special celebration brought to us by Laurie and her family!
If you don’t already know, you will quickly discover,
that Laurie and her extended family are very creative and very determined
when it comes to having a good time and making lasting memories together!
We know that many of our readers, like us,
also love sharing special moments with loved ones…
including
our Littles (the grandkids) and our Middles (also known as our own grown children)
as well as other relatives and friends!
Read on for specific ways YOU can use and/or adapt our ideas
to create a carnival atmosphere at home
OR
your very own day at the fair!
Have you ever heard of the
???
If you are a Minnesota native
OR
have visited our state during the month of August
you, undoubtedly, have heard of it or even spent some time there!
The Minnesota State Fair takes place each year during the last two weeks of August
and it is second only to the Texas State Fair,
averaging 2 million visitors each year!
Come, spend a day at the fair with us!
In Laurie’s own words,
My extended family has always spent a summer get-away in Northern Minnesota together.. It is a time my sister’s family and my family look forward to every summer. In late August 2020 we were scheduled to stay at Grand View Lodge - a favorite of ours. I had retired that June, at the end of the school year, and we were all looking forward to this annual trip. However, the pandemic was still at its peak, and we had some family members with autoimmune issues, so we made the tough decision that 16 people in one house/cabin was just too risky, and we canceled.. We were all soooo disappointed so my sister and I brainstormed and planned four days of safe outdoor activities during the same days as the original trip. Another family-favorite - the Minnesota State Fair - was also canceled that year so I decided we would spend one day in our own backyard, taking in our own version of a “Mini”sota State Fair!
I started the planning process by brainstorming the main and favorite parts of the fair, and imagined how each would fit into our backyard. It took a lot of planning, but it all fell into place. My goal was to have an afternoon where people could move from fair event to fair event, enjoying what they wanted. So I made signs for each activity and spread them throughout the backyard. There were also many chairs on the patio where people could just sit and visit, while social distancing, of course!
Now we just had to hope for nice weather!
🤞
Below, you’ll find all the details from our day at the fair!
I’ve highlighted many of the areas and attractions found at the real Minnesota Fair
and share how we recreated each in my own backyard!
There was a lot to get ready and to set up,
but the recently retired teacher in me was thrilled to take it on
and very excited about this project!
As you read, feel free to pick and choose an activity (or two or three),
or adjust the format to fit your own day…
A Day at the Fair!
♦️ The Creative Activities Building!
This is where the crafters, artists, sewers, builders and quilters get to display their talents at the fair. At the real State Fair, it’s one of our favorite places to explore and to see all the creativity and talent on display! Read on for how we added our own creative activities to the day's fun!
Lay out a variety of paper, yarn, cardboard tubes, pom poms, etc., along with scissors and glue and let everyone create their own masterpiece!
At our fair we followed the theme, What Minnesota Means to Me! However, a theme is not necessary for this project to be successful. Look at the creative entries!
When everyone has completed their creations, number each project and display them on blankets on the ground or on tables. Each Fairgoer gets 5 dimes and uses them to vote for their favorites in a small box or envelope set next to each creation!
Everyone gets to keep their winnings
and ribbons can be handed out, too!
♦️ Machinery Hill & the Animal Barnyard!
At the real Minnesota State Fair these two areas are favorites for all ages! Invite everyone to bring their favorite tractor (or truck) to display at Machinery Hill.
Bring a favorite stuffed animal to be shown in the Animal Barnyard (a small fenced area) Set out ribbons for Fairgoers to award special prizes to each animal. (Softest Fur, Biggest Eyes, Prettiest, etc.)
As an Added Bonus: These two areas kept our two youngest Fairgoers, at ages 1 and 2, very happy and entertained!
♦️ Butter Sculpting at the Dairy Building!
Our state of Minnesota produces over 9 billion pounds of milk a year so there’s no surprise that it’s celebrated at the state fair! The hot (or cold) spot to be at the Minnesota State Fair is the Dairy Building where the 12 Dairy Princesses take turns having their likenesses carved into a large slab (90 pounds each!) of butter.
Princess Kay of the Milky Way, 2021, & her butter sculpture
Here’s what we did to recreate this experience at home: Buy inexpensive sticks of butter (think Dollar Store). Set one stick out on a paper plate for each Fairgoer as well as a plastic knife (for the adults) or a popsicle stick (for young Littles).
Your Fairgoers then carve their own sculpture!
♦️ Meet & Greet the Candidates!
There are always many political candidates at a fair so why not have a Voting Booth of your own! (If you recall, 2020 was a BIG election year!) Choose 2 or 3 favorite animals, movie stars, action heroes, etc., and write up a bio about each candidate's platform.
Add red, white and blue decorations to your voting area.
Make stickers (or use paper with safety pins) for Fairgoers to proudly wear
to show who they voted for!
Added bonus? This is a great civics experience for your young Littles!
♦️ The Midway & Fair Food!
Two favorite attractions during any visit to the fair are the carnival games and rides found in the Midway AND all the yummy food options available to you! These two areas are so beloved that we’ve dedicated an entire section to each below, so keep on reading…
Who doesn’t love a good noisy Midway
filled with rides and carnival games?
Here are a few ideas to get you started!
The Midway!
The Rollercoaster!
We're lucky... our backyard has a gentle hill we could recreate this on. If you do not have a hill, you could tie a rope to the “car” and have someone pull the ride in your yard or on the driveway!.
Use a skateboard (for Middles and Grands)
or a wagon (for Littles) to coast down the hill.
The Tilt-a-Whirl!
Take an old spinning chair (like an office chair) and have someone spin you around and around! Our littlest Littles really loved this one!
The FastTrack!
Draw a “track” with sidewalk chalk on your driveway, and have Faigoers take turns as they scooter up the track and down.
The Carnival Games!
I did provide prizes for the games (small trinkets and candy at the stations) and each Fairgoer could take one whenever “you succeeded”! When all was said and done, most people were just having fun and almost all the prizes were left over!
Skeeball!
I love SkeeBall and just happened to have this tabletop game that worked perfectly for a fair! You could also toss balls in baskets or boxes for different points. Keep a running score on a clipboard to see who is your high roller!
Mini Putt!
This game is easy to set up if you have any golfers in your family! You will need a mat or rug if you are playing on grass. Try 2 holes/boxes/cups - a small one for the adults and a bigger one for the Littles.
Duck Pond!
Write a number with a permanent marker on the bottom of each rubber duck. Put your rubber duckies in a big bin or bowl of water. Choose a duck, check the number, and that’s the prize you win!
Balloon Pop!
This is a fun one but it definitely needs adult supervision! Blow up balloons and tape them to a board. (Blow up extra balloons and have them nearby to use as/if needed.) Lean the board against a tree near the edge of your yard. (You don’t want people walking behind it).
Back up (how far depends on your age), throw a dart and try to pop a balloon. When the board is empty, the host will have to refill it.
For safety reasons, after each throw, Fairgoers are responsible for picking up the broken balloon piece up - we had a trash can handy nearby!
Ring Toss!
Set up bottles of pop, juice, water, lemonade, etc. in a formation and provide plastic rings such as round plastic bracelets. You could also make rings out of pipe cleaners.
Toss the rings one at a time.
If you ring a bottle, you get the drink!
The Atomic Blaster!
You will need a long area for this. Use a Nerf blaster - with a ball or water - and see if you can make it into the basket.
Ping Pong Toss!
Set some vases or glasses into a box. Stand back and try to toss the balls into the vases.
No fair is complete without food, food, FOOD!
We have some great selections!
Get ready to join us as we eat our way through the fair!
😋 Minnesota Wine Tasting & Beer Garden!
These two spots are always fun adult stops at the Great Minnesota Get Together! Recreate the fun for your Middles and Grands by setting up an area to sample your own state’s best!
Wine selections from a few of our favorite Minnesota wineries!
And a few local brews, too!
😋 Sweet Martha Cookies, Mini Donuts & Cheese Curds!
The Minnesota State Fair would not be the same without the Sweet Martha Cookie, Mini Donut or Cheese Curd stands! Most of these items can be found in local grocery stores… Don't forget to check the frozen food section!
French fries, popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones and peanuts in the shell are other fun options that you can whip up at home to replicate the delicious fair tastes and smells!
😋 All the Milk You Can Drink!
For over 60 years, Fairgoers at the Minnesota State Fair have been able to enjoy All the Milk You Can Drink for a nominal fee! This bottomless cup of milk originally cost Fairgoers 10 cents and the going rate these days is $2.00! What a bargain!
To enjoy this annual event, keep your milk in the refrigerator or cooler, but put a sign out as a reminder!
😋 Dinner at the Fair!
It’s hard to believe, but in addition to all the treats and snacks, many Fairgoers enjoy dinner at the fair, too! If you want to include a meal as part of your day’s celebration, go for traditional fair food, of course!
Some of our favorite options include the following…
Hot Dogs or Corn Dogs
Chips or French Fries
Grilled Corn on the Cob
and, of course,
Malts to Order
The Amateur Talent Contest!
Th Amateur Talent Contest at the Minnesota State Fair has been an annual event for over fifty years! The last Sunday of the Minnesota State Fair is when the finals of the Amateur Talent Contest always take place!
Yes, your fair will need one, too. 😍
Ahead of time, invite everyone to register their talent with you so that you can then be the emcee at the event and introduce each act!
We had performances from everyone - age 1 up to age 65. There were puppy imitations, ball juggling, dancing, singing, jokes, dramatic readings, hula hooping, magic tricks and more!
We suggest using this event as one of the culminating activities
to your day at the fair!
Fireworks at Dusk!
During the Minnesota State Fair, when the Grandstand show ends each evening, they put on a fabulous fireworks show! You can end your day at the fair the same way… using sparklers!
What a memorable day that was!
Can you tell?
We ♥️ our Minnesota State Fair so much!
However you choose to celebrate a day at the fair,
it’s a GREAT way to bring your family together,
or to celebrate the end of summer with your Littles!
As always, THANK YOU so very much
for reading, commenting, subscribing and/or emailing.
If you’d like to follow us on Instagram or Facebook,
We’ll look forward to returning next week with another new post to share!
The Great Minnesota Get Together
Is certainly a special way to spend memorable time with loved ones.
Yet, we know that any time we spend time with those we love
creates memories that our hearts hold forever!
SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING SITES FOR FEATURING OUR POST!
Sundays at Silverado from The The House on Silverado
Love Your Creativity from Life and Linda
Busy Monday from A Pinch of Joy
Sweet Tea & Friends from Grace Filled Moments
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Happy September Ladies, just popping back over to let you know I'll be featuring your post at our Sweet Tea & Friend's September Link Up. See you there.
xo
This is so fun!! Oh my goodness. What an amazing event--never to be forgotten, I'm sure! WOW. Even though it was a COVID-inspired "substitute" (that sounds better to me than the real thing, to be honest), I think so many of these activities could be great as an end-of-summer bash or Labor Day party. You're so creative. Thank you for sharing this post with all of us at the Will Blog for Comments 67 linkup. :)
Oh my goodness I love your barnyard and the candidates. This is so fun! Love your fair.
Thanks bunches for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month sweet friends.
xo
That looks like so much work went into this, but such a fun alternative during Covid. We actually traveled a lot during Covid and loved it because there were no crowds. We went to states that didn't have strict Covid policies and lots and lots of national parks. Visiting from Calling Fellow Bloggers.
Such a fun time for all. Love all of the activities, food and that butter sculpting. I am happy to feature your fun post at Love Your Creativity.