Minnesota State Fair Opens Next Week

The Minnesota State Fair will open next Thursday, August 27th and will continue through Labor Day – September 7th. The Princess Kay of the Milky Way competition will be held on the eve of the State Fair – August 26th, and Meeker County once again has a princess in the competition.

Claudia Frenchick is one of the ten finalists for Princess Kay and a fan bus will be taking people from the Paynesville and Litchfield areas to the State Fairgrounds Wednesday evening for the pageant. Litchfield sculptor Gerry Kulzer will be sculpting likenesses of the new Princess Kay and the other 9 finalists out of 90-pound blocks of butter each day of the State Fair.

State Fair spokesperson Maria Hayden says there’s still time for people to purchase tickets in advance for the 2026 Minnesota State Fair which helps you save a couple of dollars on admission.

Hayden says the State Fair has 32 free park ‘n’ ride locations with shuttle bus service to the State Fair and there are also express bus services from several suburbs for a minimal fee as parking lots at the fairgrounds are often filled up. She says there are 36 new foods to try and lots of great grandstand entertainment to enjoy and you can find more details at mnstatefair.org.