Woman Attempts To Eat All Fair Foods On-A-Stick For Charity

FALCON HEIGHTS (WCCO) – During the State Fair we forget about counting calories and just eat all things deep fried or on a stick.

But one Twin Cities woman is taking over indulgence to the next level.

Mandy Colten plans to eat every single fair food on a stick in the name of charity.

Seems simple enough; order and eat the breakfast sausage corndog on a stick.

But for Colten, this simple act is one bite closer to an impressive feat.

"I started with about 15 to 16 items a day and have been able to taper it back to 10 to 12. So, that's more manageable," Colten said.

Colten is eating her way through the Minnesota State Fair and ordering every single food on a stick.

The breakfast sausage corndog was number 95.

"There's around 100. It's kind of hard to get a good list. Some of the vendors don't have foods on a stick you think they have and some have some that aren't on the list I have," Colten said. "It's hard to stay organized. That's the hardest part, staying organized, and making sure I don't miss any," Colten said.

Chan's chicken on a stick was number 96 and gave her a welcome break from the sweet and deep-fried foods.

"Good work. It's good," Colten said.  "There was a couple days where I wasn't sure how it was going to go, because there's so many food items. So, I tried to eat a lot right away and I maybe hit it too hard at first."

The rules are simple.

The food must be on a stick and must be finished at the fair. In some cases, she's had to improvise. The jawbreaker on a stick proved challenging. She busted it into tiny pieces to eat it all in one visit.

"I did the same thing with the lollipop," she said.

This is not gluttony run amuck; her mass consumption will ultimately help the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

"It turned into something more a little bit more than I thought it would. And I just thought any proceeds are going to go to a good cause, helping kids' dreams come true," Colten said.

She snaps a picture with each food and posts it to social media.

Through Twitter, she's built a following with the hope her followers will then donate.

"It kind of turned in to a little bit more people were interested in the story. People thought it was really cool, some people thought I was a little crazy," Colten said.

Colten estimates this challenge has her taking in 5,000-6,000 calories a day which leaves her feeling sluggish.

But with two foods left until her goal, over indulgence has never been so rewarding.

"I'm going to save beer and the corndog for my last hurrah," she said. "I'm kind of looking forward to saying I did it!"

Colton said she took time off work to complete this challenge.

If you'd like to donate to her cause visit Colton's blog, Fair Food Challenge.

Or you can follow her on twitter @MNFaironastick.