2024 will be last year to place bench, table at Minnesota State Fair

Cory Knudsen KSTP
Recognition bench at the State Fair (Courtesy of Minnesota State Fair Foundation)

If you would like to place a bench or table at the Minnesota State Fair, now is the time.

The Minnesota State Fair Foundation announced that 2024 will be the last year the recognition bench and table programs will take place.

There are only a limited number of benches and tables left and the fair says it expects to reach its limit before the typical deadline later this spring. They encourage anyone interested to place an order as soon as possible as they are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Once donations are received for the remaining benches and tables, no more orders will be accepted.

For $2,500, you can personalize the back of one eight-foot bench with 14 characters, including spaces. A 7″ by 8″ plaque can also be attached to the back of the bench for no additional charge.

While the fair invites business names and logos on the plaque, business names and advocacy messages may not be included on the backrest.

Benches are placed in one of four zones on the fairgrounds:

  • Blue: Area around the Grandstand — includes Dan Patch Park
  • Green: North fairgrounds — includes Little Farm Hands and Baldwin Park
  • Red: Historic livestock area — includes all barns, Warner Coliseum and CHS Miracle of Birth Center
  • Yellow: Southeast fairgrounds — includes Agriculture Horticulture Building, International Bazaar, Bandshell and J.V. Bailey House

Click here for more specific information on bench submissions.

If you’re interested in a table, it costs $5,000 and can be personalized with a line of text on each seat and two additional lines of text on the tabletop. Each line can be customized with 14 characters of text including spaces.

As with the benches, a plaque can be attached to the table for no additional charge.

The tables are placed in either the Blue, Green or Yellow zones listed above.

For more specific information on table submissions, click here.

The Minnesota State Fair Foundation states that it can edit or reject submissions and to ensure accuracy, a certificate will be mailed for confirmation.

For any questions, contact benches@msffoundation.org.