Minnesota State Fairgoers treasure their yearly stop at old standbys

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Every year at the Minnesota State Fair, a lot of the excitement revolves around what's new and what's different, but the fairgrounds are packed with longtime food stands that have become true institutions.

Emmy Rush's father started West End Creamery, and she's been serving hand-scooped milkshakes and malts since she was a little kid.

"We're going on 58 years now actually," Rush said.

She says it's hard to beat a childhood lived around ice cream. For her, the people are the cherry on top.

"We have people that come every year," Rush said. "They start breakfast with a hot waffle ice cream sandwich. At the end of the night, we have people from all the way across the fair that run over here before we close to get their end-of-the-day milkshake."

Relationships are also an important ingredient at Peters' Hot Dogs. On a wall of the Food Building is a photo from Peters in the 1940s. Many of the people in it are Lynn Meadows' relatives, including her father, who was about 16 in the picture.

Meadows is in her 52nd year running the stand with her sister, and now her grandkids help too.

"They're the sixth generation out here working," she said.

It's Peters' astounding 85th year in business.

"We hear all day long, 'I've been coming here since I was a little kid and my grandpa used to take me here,'" Meadows said. "They're a really good hot dog."

The quality of the food is what both Peters and West End say is their key to success.

Ariella, a fourth-year employee at the Creamery, has another theory.

"You got to make it with some happiness and love and really put the time into it and just always having a smile makes it the best," she said.

Leave it to the relative newcomer to spill company secrets.