Did You Know These Minnesota State Fair Icons Have Names?

DON'T CALL THEM SQUIRRELS!

A good friend of mine recently visited the Minnesota State Fair and called these two clowns Squirrels....They seemed quite offended by the remark; and with good reason. They are NOT squirrels...They are gophers!

I started thinking about this. I actually asked myself the question: Do these mascots of the Great Minnesota Get-Together actually have names?  Of course, they do! (I'm pretty sure this is a trivial pursuit question, so remember this story and thank me later when you win).

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WHO ARE THEY?

Since Minnesota is often referenced as The Gopher State, due to the Minnesota State University Gophers mascot, which is of course, a Gopher as well.

In 1966, a state-wide contest was held to name the first Minnesota State Fair Mascot. The name Fairchild was suggested by Gladys Anderson Brown, in honor of a man named Henry S. Fairchild. Henry advocated for the permanent site of the Minnesota State Fair.  Fairchild dressed in blue and white stripes as a Carnival Barker, someone who tries to attract patrons to enter the fairgrounds.  He has been the mascot dressed in blue and white stripes ever since.

MEET FAIRCHILD'S NEPHEW IN GREEN AND WHITE

Fairborne, Fairchild's Nephew, came along in the mid-1980's. Fairborne obviously adores his Uncle, fashioning the same designer clothing except in green and white rather than blue and white.

You can take pictures with the Uncle and Nephew team every day at the Minnesota State Fair at the Visitors Plaza, at 11 am and 4 pm in the afternoon. Click HERE for details.