The first round of preparation for the next edition of the Minnesota State Fair began the morning of Sept. 2, 2025, when crews took brush in hand and painted the dates for 2026 above the front gate.
And now, it’s 100 days until Aug. 27 and opening day for the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
“100 days, when you say that it kind of blew me away,” said Brad Schroeder of Faribault. “It’s getting close.”
Schroeder brought his Sweets and Treats stand all the way up from his home town, the second time the mobile operation has been on the fairgrounds this year.
The prep work really never ends for state fair vendors, many who have been doing this every year since their grandfathers first brought their wares to Falcon Heights.
“Once the fair ends, you start thinking about what you’re going to do for next year,” said Paul Hohenwald, who owns and operates Coaster’s Beer Garden. “We actually are pretty efficient in getting ready. But, a little bit of panic, and a lot of joy.”
The 100-days-until milestone comes as the state fairgrounds gets ready to host the annual Kickoff to Summer.
Matt Reibar said this weekend allows he and his staff serving poutine a chance to fine-tune their operation.
And figure out where there are shortcomings.
“We were going to sell our first order of poutine, we didn’t have any forks,” he said. “So we had to run across the street and buy some. It’s those little oversights that you forget about.”
Work crews are also getting permanent structures clean and spiffy, creating that familiar buzz of activity that leads up to the fair
Pressure hoses are being used scouring the floor of the Ballpark Café and inside the grandstand, while construction crews are building new attractions (psst… a brewhouse is going up on the old machinery hill area) or noisily clanging support poles for party tents.
There are also grounds crews keeping the grass as green as possible, while checking out the health of the trees that fill the historic site.
Making sure the awning is properly adjusted for Chicken-N-Chops near the sheep barn
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Paul Hohenwald is stocking up Coaster's Beer Garden
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Those concrete floors at the Ballpark Cafe need lots of power washing
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