Minnesotans share their favorite State Fair memories

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Time is running out to experience this year's Minnesota State Fair .

Labor Day marks the end of the fair and the unofficial end of summer.

Before we head back to work and school, let's take a moment to say goodbye and share memories, old and new, of a cherished Minnesota tradition.

"Every time I come, it's got to be the Old Mill, it's got to be the traditional foods," said Walt Murfin of Becker.

For Murfin and his wife Diane, the final days of the state fair produce thoughts of nostalgia and priceless memories.

"My dad worked with the DNR, so I got to come here starting when I was probably 11 years old. He'd give me a dollar and I could get a corn dog for 10 cents and a ride for 10 cents," said Diane Murfin of Becker.

It's also the place where happy times get handed down.

"The rug slide is my favorite because I can still go on it with the kids and the kids love it every year. It's a big tradition for us," said Delane Woods of Robbinsdale.

"My dad used to bring me to the fair all the time and I would always get a dolphin, every year. One of my best memories of him is one year it started raining really bad and he hid it under his coat so my dolphin wouldn't get hurt. I felt like carrying on the memory with her," said Angela Rudd of White Bear Lake.

Roy Tardiff has been coming here for almost 70 years. His state fair story: A game operator let him win a prize in front of his girlfriend as a young man.

"Knocking down beer bottles...I mean milk bottles. He gave us this huge stuffed animal, fuzzy fur on it, pink. It said I won this at 'Joe's Knock 'Em Down' or something. I had to carry that thing around all day long by the end of the day, I hated it," said Tardiff of Rogers.

The fondest memories revolve around food, family and firsts.

For those who work and play at the fair year after year, the goodbye is always bittersweet.

"After being here for five days in the barns and that, I'm ready to go home. It's still like getting kicked in the gut though, because you know fall is coming and this is Minnesota. This is what we live for," explained Kelly Ladd of Waconia.