Cooler but still well above normal this week

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The Minnesota State Fair is opening for a trial run Memorial Day weekend after shutting down because of COVID-19 last year.

 for a “Kickoff to Summer at the Fair” starting May 27. The five-day event will feature timed tickets for up to 10,000 people starting that evening through Memorial Day. 

Weekend days offer visitors a day and an evening option.

 the Minnesota State Fair in August would be “a pretty close to normal event" this year after COVID-19 canceled it in 2020.

The fair said the kickoff event will feature about two dozen food vendors — yes, Sweet Martha’s and Pronto Pups are on the list — with music at several locations around the fairgrounds. The giant slide is also planning to open for the event, weather permitting.

Tickets — $12.50 each, free for kids 4 and under with a child ticket — will be sold 

, with registration closing Thursday night. There’s a limit of six tickets per customer. A presale will be open to State Fair Foundation members.  

Organizers say the event will help offset losses over the last year.

Face masks will be required and other COVID-19 protocols will apply for the event — including restrictions to a single entry point on the north side of the grounds.

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The fair says the “Kickoff to Summer at the Fair” will feature about two dozen food vendors — yes, Sweet Martha’s and Pronto Pups are on the list — with music at several locations around the fairgrounds. The giant slide is also planning to open for the event, weather permitting.

State Fair food, music — and giant slide are back for Memorial Day minifair

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