A Summer Night at the Minnesota State Fair

Photos and text by Ernesto Ruiz-Garcia, AIA | August 5, 2021

The Mighty Midway section of the Minnesota State Fair, home to dozens of colorful games, rides, and concessions. Photo by Ernesto Ruiz-Garcia, AIA.

POSTCARD

Looking to capture the spirit of the Great Minnesota Get-Together a few years ago, I framed this composition and shot for 20 minutes until the ambient and colorful Midway lights were balanced. The activity buzzing around me, and the rapidly changing light conditions, gave me the feeling of being in a time-lapse. The fried-food signage right up front seems appropriate, and the colorful rides, wide pedestrian paths, and glowing kiosks transport you into the scene. The twilight milieu radiates the nostalgic and ephemeral nature of the fair as a place where many go to have fun and unwind, on the kind of beautiful summer night that prepares Minnesotans to endure another long, cold winter.

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