Photo: #"Minnesota State Fair: An Illustrated History," was written by Kathryn Strand Koutsky and Linda Koutsky.
Photo: #The State Fair was held at Fort Snelling in 1860 and 1863. The fair was cancelled in the two intervening years because of the Civil War.
Photo: #Sideshows like Ripley's Believe It or Not offered oddities that pulled in large and curious crowds. Photo from 1937.
Photo: #An exhibitor in the largest produce competition, 1926.
Photo: #Lively competition took place in homemaking categories such as sewing, knitting and quilting. This hooked rug 'sailed' into the winners circle during the 1940s.
Photo: #Machinery Hill was the focal point of the fair for many years, as farmers flocked to the area to look over the latest farm equipment. Photo taken in 1944.
Photo: #Kathryn Strand Koutsky and Linda Koutsky, co-authors of a new book about the Minnesota State Fair.

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August 22, 2007

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The Great Minnesota Get-Together

August 23, 2007

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Get ready for crop art, cheese curds, and all things on a stick. The Minnesota State Fair gets underway Thursday, and over the 12-day run it is expected to draw more than one million people.

A new book tracks the traditions and history of the State Fair through a collection of pictures. Mother-daughter team Kathryn Strand Koutsky and Linda Koutsky combed through the fair archives to find old photos, souvenirs and recipes. Their book tells the story of a 150-year-old Minnesota tradition. They spoke with MPR's Cathy Wurzer.

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