The Best of the Twin Cities Since 1972. mspmag.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mui76e6pvs27We thought last year’s beverage list of 70 was excessive, but this year surpassed it with 100+ beers, ciders, seltzers, and NA specialty drinks at the Minnesota State Fair. https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/the-best-and-worst-of-the-new-state-fair-drinks-2026/01 Sep 2026 19:54 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mui76e6pvs27https://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mui6ztummc27From lakeside patios to riverfront restaurants, eat by the water in the metro or at spots just a quick drive away. https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/where-to-dine-by-the-water-in-the-twin-cities/01 Sep 2026 19:51 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mui6ztummc27https://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mui4j3o22c2eTrimmed in scalloped edging, a fairy-tale A-frame tucks into the woods just above Washburn Lake in central Minnesota. https://mspmag.com/home-and-design/nesting-instincts/01 Sep 2026 19:06 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mui4j3o22c2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mui35ltatk2eSome couples get married at a chapel. One couple tells us what it was like to get hitched at the fairgrounds. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/a-state-fair-marriage-story/01 Sep 2026 18:42 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mui35ltatk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muhuv4woas2eMary Tyler Moore never stayed in the Victorian at 2104 Kenwood Parkway shown in The Mary Tyler Moore Show—but you can. https://mspmag.com/travel-and-visitors-guide/mary-tyler-moore-house-vacation-rental/01 Sep 2026 16:50 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhuv4woas2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muhtclnlmk2eThe writer William Kent Krueger has been on a 30-year murder spree—imaginative and imaginary, but oh so successful. Better get up to speed with his work now, because it’s all going Hollywood soon. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/william-kent-krueger-noir-of-the-north/01 Sep 2026 16:21 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhtclnlmk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muhndx7nw22eEvery year, there's a slate of 30-some "official" new State Fair foods, but there's also "bonus" new foods which aren't on the formal roster.01 Sep 2026 14:35 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhndx7nw22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muhkwe4wa22eMinnesota consistently ranks as the top state in youth enrollment for ultimate. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/ultimate-frisbee-in-minnesota/01 Sep 2026 13:51 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhkwe4wa22ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muhjeko64s2eThe first-time State Fair vendor is bringing its handheld A-game. https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/minnesota-state-fair-new-vendor-roons-savories/01 Sep 2026 13:24 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhjeko64s2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mufx5huk6k2zFor most of his life, Ben Kantor’s spent August more than 300 feet above the State Fair. “And I’m afraid of heights,” says Kantor. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/by-the-numbers-state-fair-space-tower/31 Aug 2026 22:25 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufx5huk6k2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mufblrmfqs2oLast year's 40th anniversary block party brought more than 10,000 visitors to the free event on Nicollet Mall, and with an expanded range of acts and stages, the Dakota aims to do it again. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/dakota-block-party-lineup-2026/31 Aug 2026 15:59 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufblrmfqs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mufurnuni22bThe Science Museum exhibition features 15 life-sized casts of dinosaurs and a glimpse into Minnesota before time. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/ultimate-dinosaurs-exhibit-mn-state-fair/31 Aug 2026 21:42 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufurnuni22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mufo3l2m3c2sFrom Cracklin' Corn Ribs to Elote Tots and sausage flights to a Dubai Whoopie Pie, read on for our reviews of all the new Minnesota State Fair foods. Read More: https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/new-minnesota-state-fair-food-reviews-2026/31 Aug 2026 19:43 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufo3l2m3c2shttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mufir4kosk2oA signature scent can anchor a room as much as a piece of furniture, shaping the way a space is experienced and remembered. But how do you choose one? https://mspmag.com/home-and-design/smells-like-home/31 Aug 2026 18:07 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufir4kosk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muffd4dnq22oRep the fair year-round (but especially now) with picks from local brands and retailers. https://mspmag.com/shop-and-style/our-favorite-state-fair-merch/31 Aug 2026 17:06 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muffd4dnq22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mufdqj5e4c2oHeaded to the lumberjack show at the State Fair? For the lumberjacks (and jills!) in the Timberworks Lumberjack Show, spending the summers log-rolling, axe-throwing, and speed-climbing is more than an entertaining sport—it’s a way to honor history. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/the-life-of-a-state-fair-lumberjack/31 Aug 2026 16:38 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufdqj5e4c2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mufblrmfqs2oLast year's 40th anniversary block party brought more than 10,000 visitors to the free event on Nicollet Mall, and with an expanded range of acts and stages, the Dakota aims to do it again. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/dakota-block-party-lineup-2026/31 Aug 2026 15:59 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mufblrmfqs2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muf64vabpk2oHow do you open a brand-new juke joint, barbecue star, American farm-driven diner, and all-around icon out of nowhere? Get a decade or two head start. https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/restaurant-review-animales-bbq-co-new-old-soul/31 Aug 2026 14:57 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muf64vabpk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muf4kci2c22oChef Sameh Wadi's Saffron is now open. https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/saffron-new-restaurant-palestinian-sameh-wadi-young-joni-minneapolis/31 Aug 2026 14:29 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muf4kci2c22ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3muezz76t3s2oSoak up sunflowers before they’re gone for the season. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/sunflower-fields-mn/31 Aug 2026 13:43 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3muezz76t3s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu6c6ahpjc2hThis fall, the 99-year-old musician Cornbread Harris will be recording his live album Cornbread 99 at Crooners. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/cornbread-harris-live-album-crooners/28 Aug 2026 21:21 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu6c6ahpjc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mueyh4l2zc2oAre we expecting more out-of-state visitors at the State Fair? https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/state-of-the-plate-whos-coming-over/31 Aug 2026 13:15 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mueyh4l2zc2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu6c6ahpjc2hThis fall, the 99-year-old musician Cornbread Harris will be recording his live album Cornbread 99 at Crooners. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/cornbread-harris-live-album-crooners/28 Aug 2026 21:21 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu6c6ahpjc2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu6c4oiqjk2hSteichen’s has been supplying fairgoers—and workers—with necessities for decades. But with every fried food at your fingertips already, how does it persist? https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/the-state-of-the-fairs-grocery-store/28 Aug 2026 21:20 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu6c4oiqjk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu66ohl76s2hThe Get It, Skip It, Your Call guide to eating the new State Fair foods is here. https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/foodie/new-minnesota-state-fair-food-reviews-2026/28 Aug 2026 20:18 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu66ohl76s2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu5vcylcvs2hIt was the year of apples, it was the year of ube. From a Thanksgiving Stuffed Turkey Leg to Bao Belly pork buns, read on for the top new foods to eat at the Minnesota State Fair, according to our food critic Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl.28 Aug 2026 17:31 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5vcylcvs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu5szg4i7c2hThe bygone department store Dayton's returns to the Grandstand with nostalgic merch and a first-ever summer Santabear. https://mspmag.com/shop-and-style/daytons-heading-back-to-the-state-fair/28 Aug 2026 16:50 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5szg4i7c2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu5rfqvpjs2hIn early September, Sameh and Saed Wadi’s restaurant Saffron Restaurant will roar back to life in the former Young Joni space in Northeast Minneapolis. We stopped by the new space for a sneak peek of the Palestinian and Levantine menu.28 Aug 2026 16:21 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5rfqvpjs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu5g37iwjk2oOur team spent Day 1 at the Minnesota State Fair eating all the official new foods, from pickle pies to pumpkin bar funnel cake, so you know exactly how to budget your stomach space while at the fair over the next 11 days. Read the full reviews of all the official new foods.28 Aug 2026 12:58 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5g37iwjk2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/mspmag.bsky.social/post/3mu5ocm6occ2hThe Science Museum exhibition at the Minnesota State Fair features 15 life-sized casts of dinosaurs—plus the state fossil, the Giant Beaver—and a glimpse into Minnesota before time. https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/ultimate-dinosaurs-exhibit-mn-state-fair/28 Aug 2026 15:25 +0000at://did:plc:orydgjpuuq7hrwk764bmdsr7/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5ocm6occ2h