Eagan Kids Give Advice on State Fair

Eagan residents Hannah Peterson and her BFF Emily Peterson (no relation), both 10, say they're Minnesota State Fair experts.

“We’re the State Fair kid experts. Or kid know-it-alls,” Hannah said.

Emily said: “We go at least three times every year. Last year we got to go five times! It was so awesome. But we were really broke after, and my Dad said, never again five times.”

Between the girls they've been to the fair 29 times. Hannah was carried there as a baby; Emily began going after her family moved to Minnesota when she was three.

Eagan Patch got their advice on how every kid can have a fabulous time at the State Fair.

Get there early. “You need to get … a good parking spot, especially if you’re going to buy things,” Emily said. “Cause you might have to lug them back to the car.” She prefers to arrive no later than 8 a.m. “Even though the buildings aren’t open yet, you can chow down and start looking around.”

“Also, sometimes there are discounts on rides and stuff in the morning," Hannah said. "And you usually have to spend a lot of time standing in line, so if you get there earlier, you can get on more rides before the prices go up." Midway rides open at 10 a.m.

Make a list. “Since we go (to the fair) a lot, we don’t have to do everything in one trip," Emily said. "But if you only get to go once, you should keep track of what you want to do and see. Like, if you want to see the baby chicks and you forget to put it on your list, you might forget and then you have to wait till a whole year."

There’s lot of great free entertainment. “We really like to hang around places where there’s free music, like the Bandshell and Baldwin Park and International Bazaar," Emily said. "Even if you don’t think you like that kind of music, you might find out you do."

Don’t buy the first thing you see. “There’s a lot of good stuff and a lot of junk at the Fair,” Hannah said. “Sometimes you’ll buy something and someone else will have it a buck cheaper. Or maybe you’ll take it home and not like it after all. You do a lot of walking … at the fair, so you can think about it and then come back and get it later if you really want it.”

Don’t worry about eating healthy. “We both kind of like to eat stuff that’s good for us, but if you do that at the fair you just miss too much," Hannah said. "You gotta have that fried food. What kind of person could pass up mini-doughnuts? The Tom Thumb kind are the best.”

Try new things. “You always have your favorite things, like I love the  fun house and Em’s all about the horse shows. But sometimes you have to kind of dare yourself to ride that scary ride or eat alligator on a stick,” Hannah said. “You need the old and the new, ‘cause that’s what the fair is all about.”