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Lifestyle

Princesses made of butter

Minnesotans love their butter sculpture. At least that's Linda Christensen's impression from inside the big revolving, glass-enclosed refrigerator at the Minnesota State Fair. Each year at this time, Christensen spends her days in at the Minnesota State Fair creating images of dairy princesses from big blocks of butter. On Saturday, she sculpted Jessica Felling, a dairy princess from Stearns County.

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Parking in bipartisan alley

Eventually during their visit to the State Fair, more than one million Minnesotans will get tired and head for home. But for people who live near the fairgrounds, there's no going home from the fair. Some neighbors make the most of it by making a cottage industry of parking cars. Along one block, car parking brings a neighborhood together.

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Politics on a stick

It wouldn't be the Minnesota State Fair if there weren't some politicking among the cheese curds and livestock exhibits. It's not an election year for state officials, but that hasn't stopped politicians from converging on the fair. Republicans have handed out "DFL lies on a stick", and Democrats are gathering signatures asking Gov. Pawlenty to release his tax returns.

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Something old, something new at the fair

The Minnesota State Fair opened for business Thursday with Gov. Tim Pawlenty greeting some of the first visitors early in the morning. As always, there's a mixture of new attractions and old standbys at the fair, which officials hope will draw more than 1.75 million people over the next 10 days.

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Bugs in the garden

Now that it has rained, we may find mosquitoes joining the wasps and bees in our gardens. A bug expert answers your questions about the pests and welcome garden visitors.

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Gun advocates question State Fair's gun ban

When the Minnesota State Fair opens Thursday, visitors will see signs at entrances banning guns from the fairgrounds. Fair officials say the ban on guns has been in place for decades, and makes practical sense. Gun rights advocates say the fair has no legal authority under Minnesota's new concealed carry law to prevent permit-holders from bringing handguns to the fair. They say if the fair goes ahead, it'll likely face a lawsuit.

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State Fair Grandstand to get a facelift

Minnesota State Fairgoers will notice some changes to the grandstand this year. The facility is undergoing a $35 million remodeling project.

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Design and public spaces

Design is all around us but we often overlook it. The Design Institute at the University of Minnesota is hoping to change this indifference into appreciation by transforming the Twin Cities into a huge game board.

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The Growing Fringe

The 10th Annual Minnesota Fringe Festival is well underway. Word on the street says it's bigger and better than ever. But financial problems and continued growth have led to new challenges for the arts festival.

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A gathering of scooters

Hundreds of scooter riders will gather this weekend for the fourth annual Scooter Du, a gathering of scooter riders in the Twin Cities and includes many scooter-related events.

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