5. Pause to pay respect to cooking and baking skills.
No visit is complete without a stop at the Creative Activities Building. We love learning more about the storied and often underappreciated history of baking, crafting, preserving and more. It’s worth time to marvel at the competitors’ prowess with breads, pies, cookies, cakes, canning and more, and a newly installed cooler adds an additional 30 feet of space for showcasing these beauties. (If you’re there on Aug. 28, the Star Tribune has a full day of programming at the Cambria Kitchen.)
Pickle Pizza from Rick's Pizza.
Rick's Pizza has doubled our dill pickle pizza opportunities with a second stand at the fair. (Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
6. Look for shorter lines as high-demand bites boost their presence.
Rick’s Pizza, home to the viral pickle pie that was an immediate fan favorite, now has two locations: new digs on the west side of Cooper St. between Murphy and Lee Avs., plus the OG location on the west side of Cosgrove St. between Wright and Dan Patch Avs. The wildly popular cheese curd stand Mouth Trap, located inside the Food Building, had the opportunity to add a little extra space after a neighboring gyro spot moved out. Those quick-moving lines should go even faster with the extra fryers they’ve installed. And Bridge N’ Barrel has brought their fair’s root beer barrel presence up to six locations.
![Sota Sandwich, Brim.] ALEX KORMANN • alex.kormann@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/2J2W75R7WIK54J24VRDRMPY7BM.jpg?&w=1080)
This year fairgoers will be without the gluten-free deliciousness of Brim. (Dave Braunger — Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
7. Some big-name vendors aren’t coming back.
Jammy Sammies by Brim, the spot for gluten-free grilled jam sandwiches and coffee near the Hangar, chose not to renew their lease. (At least there’s still the Uptown cafe.) And Nordic Waffles has also folded their cute stand at the fair’s West End to shift focus to their year-round business of making those famous waffle sandwiches found in supermarket freezers. A retail vendor snapped up the space.
Peaches from the Produce Exchange at the Minnesota State Fair are a good-for-you palate cleanser. (Sharyn Jackson/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
8. Know how to navigate for your gluten-free and vegan friends.
Losing Brim is a bummer, not only for the tasty bites they brought but also as a gluten-free stand for fairgoers who need that cuisine. To find other options, Twin Cities ROCK (Raising Our Celiac Kids) has always been a fabulous resource for navigating a gluten-free fair experience — and they’ve got a booth in the Education Building.
More people also are choosing a plant-based diet, and the fair has more options every year beyond our favorites of peaches and frozen grapes. To aid our vegan friends, we’ve put together a whole list of vegan offerings at the fair and where to find them. Look for it at startribune.com.
9. Appreciate the Blue Ribbon Bargain Book babes.
The Blue Ribbon Bargain Book is a legit way to save some cash, but remembering what’s in there and when to use it is key. Be sure to pick yours up in advance and while it might seem a little nerdy, those little Post-It tabs labeled ahead of time help mark pages at a glance. The fair’s app also allows you to search food and vendors by Blue Ribbon Bargain Book, making the deals easily accessible on the fly.