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Evan Frost
Falcon Heights, Minn.

Photos: First day of the 2018 Minnesota State Fair

Seventeen-year-old Payton Waage washes her cow, January.
Seventeen-year-old Payton Waage washes her cow, January, inside the cow barn at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. on Thursday, August 23, 2018.
Evan Frost | MPR News

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The Minnesota State Fair kicked off today. Crowds were inside the gates before the sun came up and animals were still sleeping when eager fairgoers crept through the barns in the early morning.

It didn't stay quiet for long. By noon the streets were packed, the air was hazy and parking was hard to come by. A number of new foods and a third location for Sweet Martha's cookies were among the draws to this year's fair.

Gallery
15 of 15
A Clydesdale is led out of the horse barn.
A Clydesdale is led out of the horse barn.
Evan Frost | MPR News
1 of 15
Seventeen-year-old Payton Waage washes her cow, January.
Seventeen-year-old Payton Waage washes her cow, January, inside the cow barn at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. on Thursday, August 23, 2018.
Evan Frost | MPR News
2 of 15
Fairgoers walk down the street in the morning light.
Fairgoers walk down the street in the morning light.
Evan Frost | MPR News