Did you know the Minnesota State Fair has an "unofficial" flower?

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — There's no shortage of new things to see and do at the Minnesota State Fair . One feature has been since the very beginning but you may not have even noticed it.

Did you know the Minnesota State Fair has an "unofficial flower"?

Canna lilies line Snelling Avenue outside the main entrance. They're all over the fairgrounds and have been since the start. They were there in 1963, all throughout the 70s and still today.

"In fact when my kids were little they knew the state fair was going to start by how tall the canna lilies were," said Chillon Leach.

Mindy Walter, the state fair's horticulture manager has been in on the secret from the start.

"When we pull them out of the ground in the fall they multiply themselves. If we had DNA mapping I could trace back to many many many decades ago," said Walter. "It is a very tropical plant. Most people would never associate the canna lily with Minnesota."

But that's what makes them special. Workers take care of the canna lilies year-round.

"It's a reliable plant, its so showy and strong," said Robert Lechnar from Lindstrom. "This year we grew for 2024, 7,500."

Walter credits her small but mighty greenhouse staff.

"This is an amazing place and the fact that everybody can pull this off for the whole year is truly a testament to how hard everyone works here and how much they love the fair," said Walter.

Of the 7,500 canna lilies they planted, most made it. You can find about 6,000 of them thriving around the fairgrounds.