My very special Season One Grand Finale (!!) guests today are the most die-hard, most gung-ho, most 1000 percent, most committed Minnesota State Fair goers that I know--my aunt Rosemary and uncle Richard!  They tell it just like it is and don’t hold back on sharing their pro tips, tried and true traditions, and go-to stops for pretty much any and all aspects of the Fair.  Want to finally know the secret of who really grows all that roasted corn on the cob at the fair??  You've come to the right place—Rosemary is ready to dish.  And, of course, we make our last official regular season visit to Rene’s Minnesota State Fair Trivia Corner!  The ever knowledgeable and enthusiastic Rene (my mom) shares some surprising facts about singer stars and horsepower at the fair. That’s all today on our season one grand finale episode of the Great Minnesota Pod Together!

 Thank you so much for subscribing and for listening along on this trip to the fair via memory lane!  Lord willing we will also have one final bonus episode in season one of listener questions, but until then, break out the bloody marys and fried cheddar because it’s (finally!) a wrap!  

 ****A special note on the late release of the Season 1 finale episode:  Although this podcast is about the MINNESOTA state fair, hosted by a WISCONSIN girl, and populated with MIDWESTERN guests, it has been so far recorded and produced in Eugene, Oregon.  I was editing this very special episode from my tent in the woods alongside a beautiful river in Western Oregon over Labor Day weekend.  We drove home Sunday and by Monday afternoon, wildfires were burning the forest we had been camping in and had already destroyed the small town where we stopped to get ice cream sandwiches on the way home.  It was a scary and emotional and stressful few weeks and the Great MN Pod Together was pretty much forgotten on the back burner.  But now, thankfully, the fires are gone from our backyards here in Oregon and communities are working together to rebuild.  Aaaand the Great MN Pod Together is back to wrap things up!  So if you have somehow found this episode despite it being halfway through October—hooray and thank you!  Anda big special thanks to show fan Debbie G for encouraging me to get 'er done because  at least one listener was out there waiting for the last shows to drop!****

 The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair! 
 
  www.thegreatmnpod.com  

In which true-blue fair-o-phile Greta dishes about her experience dining and dashing through the Minnesota State Fair Food Parade on this Bonus Episode of the Great Minnesota Pod Together!

The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair! 

www.thegreatmnpod.com   

Today I talk with my cousin's cousin Greta!  She is not only a bona fide behind the scenes Fair insider and flag-flying Friend of the Fair, but she also truly loves the Minnesota State Fair top to bottom, sunrise to sunset.  AND she has eaten just about everything at the Fair at least once!  In Rene’s MN State Fair Trivia Corner—the rumors were true!  My mom slides out info on an attraction that’s permanent at the fair and in our hearts.  It's a big day today on the Great MN Pod Together—I'm so glad you're here!

To read more about the family (and see a very cute 80's wedding photo) my mom talks about today, you can check out this article in Mpls Saint Paul Magazine.

P.S. If you stay tuned to the very very end of the show, you'll get a sneak preview of the next Great MN Pod Together bonus episode...coming soon!

The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair! 
 
  www.thegreatmnpod.com  

In which my friend Sarah shares about a very special chance encounter with a Princess Kay of the Milky Way on the very first Bonus Episode of the Great Minnesota Pod Together!

The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair! 

www.thegreatmnpod.com  

Today I have a very special (and artsy!) guest, my sister Arriety!  We find out that she is in fact a true fair-o-phile and we have a wide ranging discussion of blue ribbon arts and crafts, prototypes for new slippery foods on a stick, and cookie buckets as year-round housewares.  And Rene dishes up even more mouth-watering trivia in her Minnesota State Fair Trivia Corner--that's all today on the Great Minnesota Pod Together. 
 
To check out my sister’s favorite Minnesota Fair artist Adam Turman, and his very cool Minnesota State Fair tribute art, you can find him at https://adamturman.com/  He has a whole series of *The Great We’re All in this Together* items and 10% of sales go to the MN State Fair Foundation!

The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair! 
 
  www.thegreatmnpod.com  

I have a very special (and wise!) guest today, my brother Sam!  We discuss his true love for Australian Batter Fried Potatoes, how to conduct a strategic analysis of when and where to Sweet Martha, and we also manage to unearth some *deep* fair philosophy.  And, Rene’s Minnesota State Fair Trivia Corner has a big, history-related, surprise!  Thanks for joining us again today on this episode of the Great MN Pod Together!

The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair! 
 
  www.thegreatmnpod.com  

Our guest today is fair VIP and behind the scenes fair veteran, my cousin Molly!  She shares her pro tips and insider secrets of how to navigate the fair like a saavy, classy, regular.  And Rene’s MN State Fair Trivia Corner helps us sort out the confusing family tree of the Fair’s two adorable mascots.  That’s all on today’s episode of the Great Minnesota Pod Together!

The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair! 
 
  www.thegreatmnpod.com  

We have one of my favorite fellow fair goers today, my sister-in-law Katie, to talk multitudes of miracles, copious cute critters, and the (debatable) hedonist health benefits of the Minnesota State Fair!  Also today, a cameo appearance by Spam Curds!  And, of course, a snout-to-tail trivia time in “Rene’s Minnesota State Fair Trivia Corner!”   

Princess Kay of the Milky Way was national news on CBS Weekend News!  Search "cbs national news Minnesota state fair" to see the story--and a lot of butter!  And big congratulations to the 2020 Princess Kay, Brenna Connelly! 

The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair! 

 www.thegreatmnpod.com  

Today I’m reminiscing with my Grandma Fay about her first visit to the fair as a little girl over 80 years ago, her well-behaved ways as a 4-Her, and her *deep* disdain for cotton candy.  We also have our very first listener call-in question (!) about Princess Kay of the Milky Way (aka "the Butter Queen"), which is, of course, adeptly answered by our expert in resident, my mom, in her (increasingly well-produced...) segment "Rene's Minnesota State Fair Trivia Corner!"  It's a fun one and I'm so glad you're here for it!  

While they likely haven't served roast beef since back in the day, my Grandmas favorite food spot and jar opener swag booth at the fair that she talks about on the show today is Minnesota Farmers Union (https://www.mfu.org) fyi.   

The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair!  

www.thegreatmnpod.com 

Today, I talk with the one and only, cheese curd of my heart, my husband Ross!  We discuss his appreciation for fair foods both fried and fresh, find out opposites really *do* attract, and I learn things about him that I never knew.  I also get grilled by my mom on Minnesota State Fair facts in her first official edition of "Rene's Minnesota State Fair Trivia Corner.  It's a big day and I'm so glad you're here for it!  

The booth we talk about today where I get all of Ross's whimsical, soft, Minnesota t-shirts (kitty-themed and otherwise) is i like you (https://i-like-you-minneapolis.myshopify.com/) fyi.   
The Great MN Pod Together has new shows every other day (-ish...) now thru Labor Day 2020 discussing, reminiscing, and cheer-leading that most wonderful time of the year--the Minnesota State Fair!  

www.thegreatmnpod.com