“Our State Fair is a great state fair. Don’t miss it, don’t even be late. It’s dollars to donuts, that our State Fair is the best state fair in our state.”
– Title song for the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “State Fair”
This is a tale about an important late-summer mission: A mission to visit and compare the State Fairs in Minnesota and Iowa.
Fairgoers from the neighboring states are famously fiercely loyal to their State Fairs. It’s not quite Gopher/Hawkeye football level, but it can be intense.
So, which is the best?
The three retired journalists on the mission found the song from the beloved musical rings true. These annual extravaganzas of agriculture, food and competitions are, well, the best in each state.
But that’s not a Fair comparison. The trio was tasked with setting the rivalry to rest. Is Iowa the ultimate State Fair field of dreams or does its neighbor to the north hold (purple) reign? The two consistently rank in the Top 10 of State Fairs in the U.S. – usually in the Top 5.
Let me explain:
The adventure begins at a reunion of Des Moines Register newsroom alumni in October 2023, when a retired Register editor says that I must write the “ultimate comparison between the Iowa State Fair and Minnesota State Fair.”
Adell Crowe, from left, Deb Wiley and Kathy Berdan at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines on Aug. 18, 2024. (Deb Wiley / Special to the Pioneer Press)
I attended and covered the Iowa State Fair for 10 years and did the same for nearly 20 years in Minnesota after returning to my home state in 2000. I accepted the assignment. (Yes, beer was involved.)
Like a prize-winning State Fair pumpkin, the idea took root. Deb Wiley, a fifth-generation Iowan and many-year visitor to the Iowa fair, was on board. To give this piece of investigative journalism some perspective, we invited longtime friend and journalist Adell Crowe to travel from Washington, D.C. Crowe, who grew up in Tennessee, often told the others she had never been to a State Fair and wanted to go someday.
Logistics worked best to visit the last day of the Iowa State Fair and the first day of Minnesota’s in 2024, so it wasn’t exactly a caramel apples to apples comparison when it came to crowd excitement levels. The weather was perfect in Des Moines last Aug. 18, but in St. Paul (technically, Falcon Heights, a suburb) afternoon rain had us dashing from building to building on opening day, Aug. 22.
From giant boar competitions to intricate quilts to deep-fried eats on a stick at every turn, we intrepid investigators sampled what each State Fair offered in 2024.
We did not visit the Midway at either Fair, since the thrills and subsequent stomach spills are not our thing. We did not go to any concerts in the Grandstand; the lineup is usually similar, with both featuring Def Leppard in 2025 and country acts (Rascal Flatts in Des Moines, Old Dominion in St. Paul).
But enough preamble. Let’s get to the amble. (And amble, we did, with nearly 11,500 steps at the Iowa State Fair and too many mad scrambles through the rain in Minnesota to count.)
From dollars to donuts, here’s a look at both State Fairs, so you can make your plans for 2025.
The Fairgrounds
I’ve always thought the Iowa State Fair feels more “rural” than Minnesota’s. Iowa’s grounds are actually larger, though, at 445 acres, compared to Minnesota’s 332 acres. The Iowa Fairgrounds are mostly wooded, with attractions that spread up a large hill. (Confession: I don’t think I climbed that hill more than a few times during my decade in the Hawkeye State. Hey, the Bud Tent at the foot of the hill was the place to be in the ‘90s.)
Iowa has added newer buildings since the 1990s, giving the Fairgrounds a cleaner feel, but the lovely front porch on the Admin Building will always be the centerpiece to me. Minnesota’s octagon-shaped Art Deco Agriculture Horticulture Building is my favorite in my home state. It’s a delight, with an annual massive floral display in the light-filled atrium. The roads in both Fairgrounds have street names.
Both State Fairs have a rustic, romantic ride in a floating rowboat through “Ye Old Mill.” And each has a Giant Slide. There’s a building for the Department of Natural Resources at each Fair – Iowa’s has a new courtyard, Minnesota’s is a massive log structure.
But because the Minnesota State Fair draws from a larger metropolitan area, the streets are usually a solid swarm of bodies by early afternoon. Attendance at the 2024 Iowa State Fair set a record at 1,182,682; Minnesota State Fair attendance was 1,925,904 in 2024, with a record 2,126,551 in 2019.
Both have venerable roots. Iowa’s is slightly older, 1854. Minnesota expanded its territorial fair in 1859, a year after statehood.
Attractions
Each Fair has talent shows and live music on free stages as well as Grandstand shows.
Both have giant boar contest winners, which inspire “aww” and “eeuw” in special swine barn exhibits. At the 2024 Iowa State Fair, a new record was set in the Big Boar competition. Finnegan weighed in at a record-breaking 1,420 pounds. The Minnesota boar, Squeaky, was 1,240 pounds. Point: Iowa.
There are even some of the same vendor booths. Peachey’s Donuts drew loooong lines at both in 2024. Iowa has Barksdale chocolate chip cookies, Minnesota has Sweet Martha’s.
The Iowa State Fair Photography Salon is one of the most popular juried Fine Arts exhibits, with 2,579 photos entered and 833 accepted for display. Minnesota’s Fine Arts competition juried show draws art entries from throughout the state. More than 300 works – sculpture, paintings and photos – are chosen from thousands of entries.
Hundreds submit marvelous cakes, crafts, quilts and other creations in competitions in both states. The work provides both inspiration (“Hey, maybe I can do that.”) and intimidation (“Oh, I guess those slippers I knitted aren’t so special.”). Iowa’s quilts have a better display area, but Minnesota incorporates quilts into display cases with other items in the Creative Activities Building.
Check out Minnesota’s kitschy and popular “Quilt On-A-Stick” entries. Themed mini-quilts are 8 inches by 9 inches and, like all good things at the Fair, on-a-stick.
There’s a parade at 2 p.m. daily through the Minnesota Fairgrounds, with marching bands and floats. The Iowa State Fair parade marches through downtown Des Moines the evening before the Fair opens, literally drumming up excitement.
A favorite moment at the Iowa State Fair was the daily morning broadcast of the “Star Spangled Banner.” At 10 a.m., fairgoers stopped, grew quiet, removed their caps and paused to listen or sing along with that day’s singer. It was sincere and moving.
Two of the biggest attractions are the butter sculptures in Iowa and the Crop Art exhibit in Minnesota.
The Crop Art competition and display at the Minnesota State Fair is the only one of its kind at this scale, according to State Fair officials. Artists create mosaic-type works meticulously placed seed by seed, using all local grains. It’s been growing since its start in 1965 and has yielded an enthusiastic fan base. The wait in the viewing line can be 45 minutes to an hour as Crop Art is visited by an estimated 200,000 fairgoers a year.
Both State Fairs feature butter sculptures. Minnesota’s are done live at the Fair, with the heads of the winners of the annual Dairy Princess contest and her court carved from 90-pound blocks of butter. The sculptor and model sit inside a chilled rotating glass booth while the work is done.
Butter sculpting draws crowds to the Dairy Building (try the ice cream while you’re there), but Minnesota’s butterheads aren’t worth a stick of margarine compared to Iowa’s. The breed of Iowa’s life-size butter cow, crafted from about 600 pounds of butter on a wood and mesh frame, varies every year. And there’s a companion full-size sculpture or two, usually a personality or celebrity with an Iowa connection. Amazing.
The 2024 creation featured Jimmy Fallon and his sidekick, Steve Higgins, (born in Des Moines and a University of Iowa grad) and Johnny Carson (born in Corning, Iowa). Higgins and Fallon are sitting on a Sky Glider seat and Fallon is looking over his shoulder at Carson.
The full-size butter Last Supper sculpture in 1999 will forever be my favorite.
Iowa’s official butter sculptor, Sarah Pratt, will create a butter bovine in Washington, D.C., this summer to be on exhibit from Aug. 13, 2025, to Aug. 13, 2026, as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Minnesota’s crop art will also be featured in the Smithsonian exhibition. And crop artist Liz Schreiber did a title piece made out of seeds for the exhibition, “State Fairs: Growing American Craft.”
Food
Food is an essential part of a trip to the annual extravaganza in each state. Heck, I’ll admit it’s my top priority. And I’m not alone; the announcement of new Fair foods is a media event before the fairs in each state.
Deep-fried and skewered on a wooden stick is the hallmark of State Fair foods, with everything from candy bars to ranch dressing getting the batter treatment.
First, a word about deep-fried hotdogs on a stick. The Minnesota State Fair does have the requisite stands selling corn dogs. Slathered in mustard, they are a fine munchable. But Minnesota also has the superior (in my opinion) Pronto Pup, a “wiener dun in a bun” as the familiar yellow logo states. The Pronto Pup has a more cakelike batter. It is a tasty thing of beauty. Wiley insists the corn dog is better. Newbies should try both, of course.
Minnesota has more ethnic foods on its menu, with a favorite deep-fried giant eggroll, momos (Tibetan dumplings), Korean corn dogs, mochi donuts and more. In 2024, Egyptian koshari and grilled purple sticky rice were crowd favorites. There are also Minnesota-inspired foods such as a wild rice burger and walleye bites. The apple growers exhibit offers sparkling apple cider, a frozen cider pop and an apple-filled puff pastry covered with a powdered sugar frosting.
Confession: It’s difficult for me to get beyond stuffing my belly with Pronto Pups.
Iowa faves? You have to start with a pork chop on a stick, grilled in the open air by folks from the Iowa Pork Producers Association. We were nearly first in line on our visit in 2024 and the chops could have used a little more time on the grill, but Iowans know their pork.
Another favorite on our Des Moines adventure was the sweet corn in a cup; look for the ones with cotija cheese, chorizo and chips. Minnesota’s giant and popular corn roast vendor has fairgoers chomping the kernels directly from a butter-drenched cob.
The pork belly corn dog bites at a Bubbly Bar & Bistro at the Iowa fair were yummy and served in a lovely, airy new bistro setting at the top of the aforementioned hill. It’s near Grandfather’s Barn (the only building remaining from the farmstead where the Fair located in 1886). The Iowa Wine Experience is set up in the barn, and the wine slushies were slurpily refreshing.
Speaking of beverages, Minnesota’s craft beer breweries have made the North Star State Fair a foamy expedition, with new brews crafted each year. The beers and other beverages can be found at food vendors throughout the Fairgrounds, with such sips as mini-donut beer (sugar on the glass rim) and dill pickle kolsch. Last year, there were 63 new beverages and 46 returning favorites on the menu. The Iowa Craft Beer Tent keeps it all in one location, and had close to 250 drinks from 60 Iowa breweries in 2024.
By the numbers (according to each State Fair’s most recent info): Minnesota had 1,600 different foods available at 300 food concessions, with more than 80 foods on a stick. Iowa had nearly 200 food stands and more than 50 items available on a stick.
The verdict
Our resolve to name the best of the two State Fairs melted like a butter sculpture on an asphalt parking lot in August. There’s so much to love about each.
The best State Fair? Like the song says: It’s the one in your state.
Reflections of a first-time fairgoer
By Adell Crowe
Embrace the crowd! Unlike cranky airport crowds or rowdy, often-too-exuberant/intoxicated seated baseball crowds, the Fair throng is a sea of moving happiness. It parts and smiles as you make your way through and is happy to make room for a few more.
The crowds can even guide you to the best food: See the long line at the donuts? That is a good sign. (Yes, you’ll have to wait but do you have a better place to be than the Fair?) The crowded beer garden always has one more table for you, so just stand and sip until someone leaves.
The crowd will also indicate which corner of a crowded pavilion has a main attraction and which vendor is handing out good freebies.
Speaking of freebies, you’ll never need another tote bag or crown of paper pig ears. If it rains, the crowd transforms into a rainbow of free ponchos. Don’t let a little rain dampen your experience, it only helps to cool the sweat and wash away the first layer of stickiness from the cotton candy, gooey donuts, bacon on a stick and the Pronto Pup you had for breakfast.
Similarly, follow your nose! Fair smells are a conglomeration of fried happiness. Indulge. Let your nose overrule your stomach on the quantity and digestibility of food types. You are only going to get deep-fried Oreos and pork belly bites with hot honey sauce at the Fair.
Should you feel guilty about your choices in Des Moines, head to the Ag Building for the Iowa Egg Council’s free hard-boiled egg on a stick or check out the “Healthy Food Choices” listed on the Iowa State Fair website.
At the Iowa fair, the gardens outside the horticulture building provide another good sniffing stop. There’s a mini maze for kiddos and a variety of flowers that never quite achieve the same exuberance in your own backyard (but again, they ARE at the Fair!).
“City girl” Adell Crowe visits the giant boar at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights on Aug. 22, 2024. (Deb Wiley / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Don’t let your nose stand in the way of the livestock barns. These show animals are not stinky. They are groomed to keep them runway ready. Should nature call, there are shovel-ready handlers to remove the detritus. OK, maybe one or two of the big animals are a little stinky, but the lines by those pens move pretty quickly.
Animals from the massive to the wobbly newborn goats and lambs to the plume-headed chickens are available for oohing and ahhing. (But I did draw the line at the Minnesota animal Miracle of Birth Center. Yes, I’m a squeamish city girl.)
Sticks: Let’s take a moment to appreciate the genius of Fair vendors. Prior to my first Fair visit my experience with hand-held cuisine was limited to cocktail weenies and toothpicks. My horizons have been exploded! Deep-fried olives, pork chops, hot dish, Greek salad, and dozens more, all on a stick — and later down the front of my shirt.
Attire: Tattoos are the new tube tops. Used to be that skimpy tops and Daisy Dukes drew attention to midriffs and legs. Now it’s a fantastical array of ink-on-skin artistry that ranges from fanciful to fearsome. It adds another element to the required people-watching.
In the they-thought-of-everything department:
— Hog-ears off to Fair planners who made getting to each Fair easy, sometimes free and almost always quick via shuttle bus.
— If you prefer pedaling, Minnesota planners provide a bike concierge/corral (don’t lose your ticket, if you want your bike back at the end of your visit).
— Thank you, Iowa, for the permanent water art that’s big enough to dance through on a hot day.
— Minnesota’s wealth of memorial benches made room for much-needed respites and sweet reminders of how much the Fair has meant to many generations.
— Iowa shows off the beauty of its golden state Capitol with a breathtaking view from the top of the hill at Grandfather’s Barn. And the lovely new wine-and-more cafe at the top is a great place to take it all in.
— Both provided ample selfie opportunities. There were posing frames with the biggest pumpkin, a bragging-sized giant cotton rainbow bass and a cutout and directions for posing with a giant heifer. All were magnets for comments and likes on my jealous social media.
Things I didn’t expect to love:
Coffee: I’m a caffeine snob so I wasn’t expecting much from a cuppa at the Minnesota State Fair. But the Maple Nitro coffee at the Farmers Union Coffee Shop was yummy.
Seed art: I did some private eye-rolling every time I heard the words “crop art” before I saw the amazing talent and patience that goes into these masterpieces. My frame of reference was pinto beans pasted on cardboard that we made in Scouts. Who knew the cleverness that can sprout from Minnesota minds and homegrown seeds?
Butter: While I had heard of butter sculpture at the Iowa fair, seeing life-sized sculptures of Jimmy Fallon and Iowa native Steve Higgins – with a sweet over-the-shoulder nod from Iowa-born Johnny Carson – forever changed my appreciation of artists willing to work in frosty conditions wielding butter knives. It was cool, as was the annual big butter cow, which was so realistic it looked desperately in need of milking.
Arts and crafts: All states can boast amazing artists. But as these were my first two Fairs, I’m convinced that there’s a unique concentration of gifted photographers, painters, sculptures, knitters and quilters in Iowa and Minnesota. Wow, I said, maybe a couple hundred times. And as a wannabe quilter I left more intimidated than inspired. I may go back to jigsaw puzzles.
Crowd-sourcing: Not two hours into my first Fair, a woman spied my half-empty cup of lemonade to ask me where to buy the best lemonade. (Wow, I felt like an expert!) Later, I stopped a couple with a serving of sticky blue rice so I could get an eyeful. Everyone is happy to share their experiences.
Cheese curds: They need a better name. They are delicious. Especially the dill pickle variety.
Beer flavors: Hats off and head-scratching for those brewers who have made a multitude of brewskis possible. And, thanks for the yummy wine slushies.
What the Minnesotan gets wrong — and right
By Deb Wiley
The year was 1970, and comedian Red Skelton was scheduled to perform at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand. I was a lowly freshman clarinet player in my high school band, and our director penned an ode to one of Skelton’s comedic personas called “The Clem Kadiddlehopper March” that snagged us a spot at the Fair.
I don’t remember much about the experience of performing this masterpiece or the long bus ride to and from New Hampton, Iowa. What I remember is that my friend Rachel and I snagged something called a corn dog on our way back to the bus. And that we were roundly scolded as the bus started moving while we scrambled to find our seats because we were SO LATE. What I remember most vividly was that ambrosial new flavor sensation! Salty, a tiny bit sweet, savory and crunchy on the outside. On a stick! It was like nothing I had ever tasted before. I wanted more.
Thus, every Iowa State Fair involves a personal quest for a corn dog. I evolved from ketchup on the dog to mustard only. I close my eyes when I chew, savoring every nibble. It’s a once-a-year treat.
Adell Crowe, from left, Kathy Berdan and Deb Wiley give a Pronto Pup salute at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights on Aug. 22, 2024. (Deb Wiley / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Which is why, when my Minnesota friend Kathy claimed Pronto Pups were better, I scoffed. Oh sure, I’ll try them. But who wants a pancake wrapped around a hot dog? It’s too sweet. There’s no nubbly corn flavor. It’s … boring.
But talk about corny, that Fair motto, “The Great Minnesota Get-Together”? I thought little of it until Kathy, Adell and I had to duck inside the Fine Arts Center last year to escape a persistent downpour. I rounded the corner, and there, to my great delight, were two Minnesota friends that I had no expectation of seeing. It was a fun get-together. And the rest of the day was just as fine, rain or shine. After all, every day at the Iowa OR Minnesota State Fair is a good day.
Well played, Minnesota.
If you go
Iowa State Fair: Aug. 7-17, 2025. Advance tickets online. $11 for ages 12 and up and $7 for ages 6-11 until Aug. 6. Beginning August 7, $16 for ages 12 and up, $10 for ages 6-11. Parking on site (fee), along nearby streets (some homeowners charge for parking on their property), or by bus with DART Park & Ride (park free).
Minnesota State Fair: Aug. 21-Sept. 1, 2025. Ticket prices are $20 at the gate for adults. Discount tickets are available through Aug. 20. On-site parking $25. Free buses from more than 30 park-n-ride locations. Two free and secure bike corrals are available.
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, cash or credit card, sunscreen, water bottle, sunglasses.
Must see at the Iowa State Fair: The butter cow and special butter sculptures inside the Ag Building. Stare down the biggest farm animals of their kinds in the Avenue of Breeds.
Must see at the Minnesota State Fair: Crop Art entries in the Ag-Hort Building, live butter sculpting in a rotating glass cooler of Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her court in the Dairy Building.
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