Heavy snow and difficult travel expected again, heaviest snow in southern Minnesota

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

For people riding the SkyGlider during this year’s Minnesota State Fair, there’s a good chance many riders saw a familiar yet surprising sight — a colorful array of bras, underwear, countless scrunchies, stuffed animals and even a VHS tape decorating the roof of the Kemps Little Farm Hands exhibit.

No one seems to know how the tradition began, but year after year, the roof ends up being a display the public curates for the fair.

The “Great Throw Down” tradition at the fair has been occurring since 2001, when the SkyGlider first opened, 

according to a 2016 story from the Pioneer Press

. Over the years, media outlets have reported on dropped items including Sweet Martha’s Cookies, a toilet plunger, stuffed animals and even a

MPR News rode one of the first SkyGlider chairs on day one of the fair and documented a clear roof. An hour and a half later, there was one key lime bra, one sunny yellow pair of underwear, and one black chunky sandal.

The Little Farm Hands staff usually waits until the fair ends to clear the roof of the items, according to media stories in prior years. But this year was different — the State Fair cleaned it off in the middle of the fair. 

Across social media, fairgoers noted that the roof seemed more active with the unmentionables. Commenters on social media reacted to photos of the roof by saying this year by far had the most items on the roof. 

 of her trying to have a “wholesome day” with her dad and shielding his eyes so he wouldn’t see the bras and underwear on the roof.

But the State Fair’s policies regarding the SkyGlider and the potpourri of items on the Little Farm Hand’s roof are quite firm.

“The Minnesota State Fair expects riders on the SkyGlider to follow the safety rules which include securing all items and not throwing or dropping anything from the ride,” a State Fair spokesperson told MPR News on Wednesday.

Next year, why not ditch the ditching and blow bubbles while on the ride?

State Fair

NewsPartners

Homepage

Instagram

Reverb - News for Young Adults

Regina Medina

Author

Every year since the SkyGlider opened in 2001, people at the Minnesota State Fair have thrown items from it onto the roof of the Kemps Little Farm Hands exhibit.

People ride a chairlift over a building roof

The State Fair hopes this was your last year throwing stuff off the SkyGlider

Go Deeper.

Like this?