The Big Pepper at the Minnesota State Fair, family run since 1979, is demolished
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For the first time in her life, Margaret Barrett says she can’t wait until the Minnesota State Fair is over.
She spent her life at the fairgrounds every summer and her father was the original manager of the beer garden and worked around 50 odd jobs at the fair through the years.
In 1979 with her husband she purchased the Big Pepper, a stand shaped like a green bell pepper, and her sister Nora purchased the Strawberry Patch next door. Like many fair families, the 12 days of the fair, while a business endeavor, were also a family reunion.
But this year is different. After 48 years, the Big Pepper stand will no longer be serving stuffed peppers or fried ravioli. The fair turned down their request to switch ownership of the pepper to Margaret's children, even though Nora completed the same process with success last year for the Strawberry Patch.
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“It’s just been something that every year we work on getting the pepper ready,” said Colin Barrett, Margaret's son who was readying to take over ownership of the pepper with his siblings. “It’s sort of like the rug got pulled out from under us. It’s even weirder this time of year, not having to prep or get ready for the fair.”
Margaret and her family visited the pepper for the last time in April. When the pepper was built, it was cemented into the ground in front of the horse barn. When the Barretts got the email that they wouldn’t be invited back this year, they were also told they had to pay for the demolition of the pepper within the next four weeks.
Family members said their goodbyes on a chilly April morning, and Margaret took her final family photo by the pepper, holding a picture of her husband Joe who died in 2018.
“I kind of let it go after it was demolished, and now that the fair is coming I am getting so many emails and questions from people,” she said. “I hate to rehash it, but it’s hard. I live by the fair, so I drive by all of the time. So if I was removed more it might be easier. And then, you know, it’s hard because my husband started it. And he’s gone, and it was a great memory of his.”
Margaret and her family said they continue to be at a loss for why they weren’t welcomed back this year. They say they went through the correct channels to pass down ownership, and were open to making any renovations to keep them on the list. They said the fair stopped answering their emails, and they’re still waiting on an explanation.
The fair said in a statement that after last year’s fair, Margaret reported she would not return as the principal licensee, which triggers for the fair to review factors including the mix of vendors in the geographic area, “the quality and variety of a vendor’s offerings,” the appearance and maintenance of the concession stand, the financial potential, and more.
“We also place a high value on tradition at the fair, and we know the Big Pepper was a beloved part of that tradition for many guests,” the statement said. “We are grateful to the owners and operators of the Big Pepper for their many years of serving State Fair guests.”
As for this year, Colin was ready to skip the fair all together, but his kids still want to go. The family plans to avoid the area where The Big Pepper was — it’s just too hard.
“I mean, just think of how many times people come by and say ‘Oh, this is my tradition. Every year I stop here and get a stuffed pepper.’ It was all the time. It wasn’t just a tradition for us, but for a lot of people that come to the fair.”
