Minnesota State Fair Announces New Attractions For 2016

The Minnesota State Fair announced Wednesday dozens of new attractions for the 2016 Great Minnesota Get-Together. Here is a sneak preview at some of the new attractions.

The Hen House where two flocks of hens take up residence in this brand-new exhibit showing modern housing designed for egg-laying feathered friends.

This year’s Recipe Card Roundup giveaway features six top ribbon-winning recipes from 2015: Zesty Salsa, Strawberry Jam, Banana Bread, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bars, Apple Pie (filling and crust) and Chocolate Brownies. A limited quantity of these collectible cards will be given away at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (while supplies last) each day in the Creative Activities Building.

National Park Service Centennial Day at Carousel Park will celebrate Minnesota’s six national parks coming together to host a day celebrating the National Park Service Centennial in 2016. Hands-on activity stations by the parks and their partners educate, entertain and inspire fair guests to get to know and treasure our national parks. The celebration will be located at Carousel Park on Monday, Aug. 29, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Garden Kaleidoscopes & Floralpalooza: Color Your World is a chance for fair guests have the opportunity to peer into distinctive garden kaleidoscopes and see gorgeous flowers transform into mesmerizing images of color and movement. These three unique metal sculptures and spinning flower bowls are created by artist Robert C. Anderson of Sturgeon Bay, Wis. “Floralpalooza: Color Your World,” a collection of botanical couture designs by the Minnesota State Florist Association, and a festive player piano also fill the rotunda of the iconic Agriculture Horticulture Building.

Kemps Little Farm Hands will have new features with a new hands-on learning adventures have sprouted at Kemps Little Farm Hands, the pint-size mock farm experience especially for young fair fans ages 3 to 10. Little farm hands can explore why soil erosion occurs, the importance of pollination, the work of honeybees, how water travels in a cycle, and what rain barrels do. Children get to meander through a new path in the Field of Knowledge to get an up-close look at soybeans, wheat, a straw bale garden and a variety of sunflowers. These new activities join Little Farm Hands favorites – riding a tiny tractor, milking a cow, gathering eggs, planting crops and more – that walk children through the agricultural journey from farm to grocery store.

The Great Yoga Get-Together at Carousel Park is a chance for a novice wondering what the “downward-facing dog” rage is all about, or a long-time practitioner who can hold the most challenging yoga poses, will experience different styles of yoga at this event at Carousel Park. Experienced instructors lead a variety of classes in formats ranging from powerful flow to a light workshop to an educational seminar. Area yoga studios also host activities, prize drawings and giveaways and share information about the benefits of yoga.

The Minnesota State Fair will introduce five iconic fairgrounds locations and will have these locations marked with a Selfie Spot badge on the ground. Visitors may stand on the badges to snap State Fair photo memories.

There will be fifteen special traveling exhibits make a stop at the fair this year. New exhibit highlights include:

• Go RVing (Aug. 25-28): Sponsor of Family Fair. Promotion of RVing through RV tours, giveaways and games.
• Malt O’Meal (Aug. 25-Sept. 5): Sampling 15 varieties of cereal.
• Red Baron (Aug. 25-27): Giving away Red Baron pizza samples.
• Silver Jeans (Aug. 25-Sept. 5): Providing custom fitting sessions and onsite sales of Silver clothing.