The year was 1859. James Buchanan was the 15th president of the United States, and Minnesota had just been granted statehood the year before. The Minnesota Agricultural Society held its first State Fair—in the town of Minneapolis (pop. 5,000)—and the University of Minnesota was there. 

Times have changed at the fair in unimaginable ways since then—what early guests would have envisioned corn dogs on a stick, or the Skyride?—but for 166 years, the University of Minnesota has been along for the ride, even doing some very modern research on the corn dog. (More on that later.)

In the beginning there was agriculture

Minnesota State Fairs in the early years were dominated by a focus on agricultural exhibits and competitions, since encouraging farming in the state was the fair’s original purpose. The University of Minnesota played its part, and there are numerous historical references to farming exhibits and ag awards earned. 

And University of Minnesota students were apparently instrumental in staffing the fair. The September 8, 1910, edition of the Minnesota Daily noted that almost one-third of the men employed by the fair association were University students, “according to figures released by the Superintendent of Gates.” 

Said the Daily: “Everywhere on the grounds ‘U’ men are in evidence, flaunting their official blue ribbon, some perched on turn-stiles busily advancing the cause of higher education by admitting the eager farmer who has come from across the state to see what big boys his neighbors are raising.”

Kudos to the 1910 Daily for its evocative, if mysterious, prose. 

The 4 'H's: head, heart, hands, and health

4-H Clubs were also a staple of the fair’s early years, and date back to their precursor, the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, in 1913. Various buildings hosted 4-H early on, until they could no longer accommodate burgeoning participation. A new 4-H building, funded through the Works Progress Administration, was completed in 1940. Today, 4-H is the largest youth development program in Minnesota; serving over 40,000 young people every year, it’s administered by University of Minnesota Extension. 

Evolving with the times

As the emphasis on ag exhibits waned in proportion to the fair’s expanding offerings—not even counting the food booth explosion in recent years—other University of Minnesota colleges and disciplines set up displays at the fair, including nursing, electrical engineering, psychology, and the University of Minnesota’s campuses in Duluth and Morris, to name a few. (See the accompanying slideshow for some examples.)

Since 1954, Minnesotans have become increasingly enamored with the annual crowning of Princess Kay of the Milky Way, who serves as the state’s official dairy ambassador for the subsequent year. The winners are perhaps best known for having their likenesses carved out of 90-pound blocks of butter—the annual can’t-miss media spectacle.

In the early 2000s, seemingly every winner was a student at one of the University of Minnesota campuses. In 2004, Christina Rettmann of Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, won the Princess Kay crown, and her smiling face, dimples, and long maizey hair were dutifully sculpted in butter. In an interview, Rettman said she planned to freeze her butterhead and serve it up for neighbors to smear their ears of corn on at the next Renville County Fair. 

But the dairy ambassador role is one that Princess Kay winners take very seriously, and the accompanying travel is daunting. This past year’s Princess Kay—University of Minnesota College of Agricultural, Food and Natural Resource Sciences student Rachel Visser—logged over 2,400 miles to 23 events in June, which is Dairy Month. Learn more through Visser’s dairy-filled diary as Princess Kay.

The great University of Minnesota get-together in 2025

The State Fair is still a showcase for ag achievements and innovation. The iconic, octagon-shaped Agriculture Horticulture Building features both perennial and relatively new fair favorites, including the crop art display (crop-pop art using Minnesota-grown seeds), ribbon-winning fruits and vegetables, gargantuan pumpkins, and a display on Minnesota apples. (In case anyone doesn’t know, the University of Minnesota is a world leader in developing amazing apples, including the iconic Honeycrisp—Minnesota’s state fruit.)

The University of Minnesota has a presence at eight sites across the fair, ranging from the U of M Central space in the Crossroads Building (Dan Patch Avenue at Underwood Street) to the Gabbert Raptor Center, the CHS Miracle of Birth Center, and the Gopher Dairy Bar. 

For over a decade, the University of Minnesota’s Driven to Discover (D2D) research facility has brought University research—and researchers—into closer contact with Minnesotans. Over the past 11 years, nearly half a million fairgoers have visited D2D, and more than 150,000 have participated in 400+ studies in areas ranging from the liberal arts to the health sciences.

Fairgoers are encouraged to participate in a research study; most studies take under 20 minutes. Learn more about the 2025 schedule and get a closer look at five research projects. 

And how’s this for a perfect mix of University of Minnesota research prowess and Minnesota State Fair culinary tradition: Last year, University of Minnesota professors gene sequenced a corn dog at the State Fair. (They discovered that there’s actually corn in the Minnesota favorite, FYI.)

What to know if you go

If you visit the fair, U of M Central is a good starting point to see how we're "Building a greater Minnesota, together." It features giant displays that highlight health-related research on all five University of Minnesota campuses, photo ops with your choice of virtual campus mascots, and, of course, some freebies. There, you can also engage with Gopher Athletics by viewing rivalry and championship trophies and taking advantage of exclusive ticket specials.

And for the full University of Minnesota experience, include a visit on Maroon and Gold Day, Aug. 30. That day’s parade at 2 p.m. will feature the University of Minnesota Marching Band and likely an appearance by Goldy Gopher. Goldy, by the way, is considerably older than the State Fair’s two mascots—Fairchild and Fairborne. But who’s counting the years.

This year’s Minnesota State Fair runs Aug. 21–Sept. 1. Visit statefair.umn.edu for a full schedule of University of Minnesota locations, events, giveaways, research opportunities, and more.