What to do Thursday at the Minnesota State Fair
The best things to taste, hear and experience at the Great Get-Together.
August 31, 2023 at 11:00AM
![Dill Pickle Cheese Curd Tacos from Richie's Cheese Curd Tacos. The new foods of the 2023 Minnesota State Fair photographed on the first day of the fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/525YIE6CFY2YOYEBHC5AUCJNCU.jpg?&w=712)
We'll cut right to the pickle chase. Don't miss the "Kind of Big Dill" pickle lemonade from Nordic Waffles ($6), the dill pickle doughnut ($8) from Fluffy's had us deeply divided, pickle fries from Mike's Hamburgers ($8) would pair well with a frosty beverage, and the dill pickle cheese curd tacos from Richie's ($13) is over the top, but is that bad?
Hear
Duran Duran plays the grandstand with special guests Bastille and Nile Rodgers & CHIC at 7 p.m.
On the free stages:
Intoxicats perform on the International Bazaar stage at 3:15, 4:30 & 5:45 p.m., and Cedar Cultural Center's Global Get-Together features Fanaka Nation there at 8 p.m.
Shaun Johnson + the Big Band Experience takes the Leinie Lodge Bandshell stage at 3:45 & 4:45 p.m.
See
It will be loud — and competitive. We're talking about the Rooster Crowing Contest Finals, where owners will go all out with silly movements and funny faces to get their feathered friends to do a full cock-a-doodle-do kind of crow. 11 a.m., Sheep & Poultry Barn.
Try
For Stretch & Stroll Day, Dave Lee emcees a day of fitness programs, live music and dance performances. 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Dan Patch Park.
Lefse-wrapped Swedish wontons, a soothing bowl of rice porridge and a gravy-laden commercial filled our week with comfort and warmth.
