WCCO 4 Live At The Minnesota State Fair (2016): Day 1
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (WCCO) – Thursday marked the first day of the Great Minnesota Get-Together, kicking off a 12-day celebration of the state's agricultural roots and, of course, food.
WCCO-TV has a tradition of being at the fair. Our booth is near the intersection of Carnes and Dan Patch avenues. Stop by to experience what it's like to report on the State Fair, and get your own WCCO microphone. Also, be sure to stick around to watch one of our newscasts, including our 4 p.m. one-hour State Fair special.
But...first things first.
See what Frank Vascellaro, Amelia Santaniello and Chris Shaffer do once they step inside the fairgrounds.
Kicking Off The Minnesota State Fair
-----
Every year brings new things to the fair.
One of the two new food vendors is Tot Boss. Rachel Slavik spoke with the man behind the popular food truck that was welcomed this year into the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
Also, Chris Shaffer spoke with a husband and wife juggling team.
New Foods, Attractions At The State Fair
-----
Every year, WCCO does something new at the fair. This year, we made a news studio inside our booth, allowing you to come in and anchor your own newscast.
The newscast can then be watched on our YouTube channel.
Oh, and don't forget to snag a WCCO microphone!
The WCCO Experience At The State Fair
-----
One of the key focuses of the State Fair is highlighting Minnesota's agricultural community.
Rachel Slavik spoke with a champion pumpkin grower about how he gets his crops to weigh hundreds and hundreds of pounds.
How To Grow An Award-Winning Pumpkin
-----
Since WCCO started hosting a newscast from the fair, we've had games in our 4 p.m. show.
This year, we're testing fair-goers' knowledge of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
Frank Vascellaro hosts as contestants guess when certain iconic buildings arrived at the fairgrounds.
State Fair History Quiz
-----
Now back to food.
One of the new eats to debut this year comes from a fair-goer favorite: JonnyPops.
The smoothie-on-a-stick company, which was founded in a Minnesota dorm room, has several new pops exclusive to the fair.
One of them is a banana cinnamon and cream pop dipped in chocolate.
New Fair Eats: JonnyPops
-----
