Sure, the Minnesota State Fair has a culture of fried yumminess, shops galore, and rockin’ Grandstand performances, but what about the actual cultures of its fairgoers? This year, the Fair has added new cultural initiatives to further its intent to represent Minnesota’s diverse population.
“We’re called the Great Minnesota Get-Together, and we really try to represent our full state because that’s at the core of what we are–we’re bringing together the best of Minnesota,” says Maria Hayden, spokesperson for the Fair.
Whether it’s through entertainment, new food vendors (like the 2022 debut of Union Hmong Kitchen), educational exhibits and art exhibits (like the Joyful World Mural Park), the Fair tries to implement different cultural elements throughout its core areas, says Hayden.
This includes the new Pan-Latino Day on Sep. 2 at Dan Patch Park, an event intended to be a celebratory festival. Much like Hmong Minnesota Day, which is in its eighth year of celebrating Hmong culture at the Fair (on Sept. 4 this year), Pan-Latino Day is dedicated to Latin American cultures in Minnesota. Hosted by Minnesota’s top Latin radio station La Raza 95.7 FM and 1400/1470 AM, you can expect musicians, dancers, local artists, organizations, and community leaders throughout the day, according to the State Fair website.
And, of course, there’s the inaugural Indigenous Peoples’ Day, coming to the fair on Aug. 27 and sponsored by North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS,) a Minneapolis nonprofit.
Another new addition is the Cultural Destinations booth in the Education building, showcasing a rotating exhibit of nearly 60 “cultural entrepreneurs.” These cultural entrepreneurs are local diverse business owners from all over Minnesota, including St. Cloud, Willmar, Coon Rapids, the Twin Cities, and more.
Spearheaded by economist and professor Dr. Bruce Corrie as an outgrowth of his work creating a Cultural Destinations network in Minnesota, the booth will feature videos recorded on-site at the businesses, with themes of cultural dishes, cultural fashion, and cultural gifts. The intent behind it, says Dr. Corrie, is the serve as an avenue and introduction of the cultural entrepreneurs to the Fair and help them become more visible to the public.
“Let’s promote each other,” he says. “We have different venues, different malls, and different places–there are ways in which we could build each other’s business as well as offer the experience to Minnesota.”
The videos were also personally recorded by Dr. Corrie himself, intended to be low-cost and accessible for the cultural entrepreneurs. “I don’t think these videos are masterpieces,” he laughs. “But I really got the ‘human.’”
The booth will also feature Chicano artist Jimmy Longoria, a local artist known for his colorful, multi-layered murals. Longoria will be creating an art piece titled “Enjoy Cultures” live at the booth and invites visitors to participate.
Dr. Corrie’s goal is to make the Cultural Destinations booth an annual feature at the Fair. “Now, [cultural entrepreneurs] can see this and can see what can be done. And there’s always the opportunity to grow and do things differently and expand it,” he says. “I’m fortunate that the Minnesota State Fair has been very supportive about bringing more culture.”