Thanks to everyone who came to visit the Office of the Secretary of State booth at the 2011 State Fair.  We met many Minnesotans who registered to vote, were interested in becoming an election judge, learned about our state's civic engagement opportunities and of course, as always, voted in the Minnesota Favorites Poll.   You voted, your voice was heard and the votes are in….Thanks to all who participated!

 

Favorite MN Fair Food:   Again this year there was a neck in neck race between Cheese Curds and Chocolate Chip Cookies, with the curds getting the edge late in the fair:

 

Pronto Pups                        266

Cheese Curds                      524

Chocolate Chip Cookies     465

Sno-Cone                            147

 

Favorite Minnesota Outdoor Activity:  In this race,  Minnesotans could vote for up to two, and this year Minnesotans proved they liked their lakes, with Fishing and Boating just edging out Hiking and Skiing.

 

Hunting                          150

Skiing                              316

Golfing                           150

Hiking                             344

Fishing                            368

Snowmobiling                  27

Boating                           413

 

Favorite Minnesota State Park:  This is the race with the most write-ins and the one that had the most people asking why their favorite park was not on the ballot. Minnesotans love all their state parks, and it’s hard to pick a favorite, but Gooseberry Falls won by a hair over Itasca in this race.

 

Laq Qui Parle                        20

Split Rock                            302

Gooseberry Falls                455

Afton                                   142

Glacial Lakes                         66

Mystery Cave                      174

Itasca                                   366

 

Favorite Minnesota Pro-Sports Team:  This one was not even close,  the Twins hit a home run with Minnesota Voters!

 

Twins                                   861

Lynx                                     120

Timberwolves                       72

Wild                                    188

Vikings                                382

 

Minnesota’s Prettiest Season:  Winter, Spring and Summer all had almost the same amount of votes, but in the end Fall captures the heart of Minnesotans at the fair

 

Winter                               300

Spring                                305

Summer                             361

Fall                                     770

 

Minnesota’s Best Lake:  Can there really be a Best Lake?  In this poll, the Great Lake proved it’s greatness and won over the others.  Again, there were a lot of write-ins in this category!

 

Lake Superior                   929

Lake Mille Lacs                 135

Lake Vermillion                  79

Lake of the Woods          110

Lake Pepin                         74

Lake Minnetonka            205

 

Favorite Minnesota Get-Together:  It’s actually probably a bit unfair to the other events to ask this question while people are actually at the State Fair….

 

Taste of Minnesota                   16

State Fair                                1530

Winter Carnival                          25

Renaissance Festival                120

Minneapolis Aquatennial            9

Game Fair                                   21

Farm Fest                                    11