What's the fastest way to the State Fair? Ride with us 🚗 🚴🏽

Plus: Johnson hits Walz on riot response [Plus: Johnson hits Walz on riot response] View this email as a [web page]( [The Minnesota Star Tribune](   [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA [Essential Minnesota logo] ESSENTIAL MINNESOTA Good morning, Minnesota! Scroll to the end if you want to learn how I injured myself at the State Fair ⚔️ On to the news 📢 [Eder Campuzano] By Eder Campuzano TODAY’S TOP STORIES - [Punishing heat Monday, and then perfect State Fair weather]( - [How to find affordable college housing in the Twin Cities]( - [Building a pipeline for rural politicians in Minnesota, without the partisanship]( - [Who makes the final cut? Our final Vikings 53-man roster projection]( - [Walz called out Trump for COVID-19 response. How effective was Walz in Minnesota?](   What's the fastest way to get to the Great Minnesota Get-Together? Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune We all know biking to the Minnesota State Fair is the fastest way to get there, but just how much faster is it than driving? About an hour quicker, it seems. My Minnesota Star Tribune colleagues and I took an Amazing Race-style challenge Friday and traveled to the fairgrounds by four distinct modes of transportation. We met at Capella Tower in downtown Minneapolis and I took off on my bike while Jennifer Brooks drove her car, Louis Krauss took Metro Transit light rail trains and buses and Zoë Jackson drove to the University of Minnesota's Park and Ride lot and took a shuttle. I arrived first, and much sweatier, than my colleagues. Jackson and Krauss got there about 10 minutes later and Brooks ... well, you'll just have to read the story below to get all the details about her vehicular misadventures. We've also got dispatches from several reporters who got to hang out with vendors, explore the history of the State Fair's two remaining church dining halls and our Taste team's favorite new foods. What are you most excited to do and see at the Great Minnesota Get-Together? What's your favorite way to get to the State Fair? Got a story idea or a general question about what we're reporting on out there? Drop us a line at essential@startribune.com. Related coverage - [What’s the fastest way to the Minnesota State Fair? We tried four methods.]( - [The State Fair’s last two church dining halls find ways to survive and thrive]( - [For these vendors, the Minnesota State Fair isn’t just business, it’s a family reunion]( - [Friday’s Minnesota State Fair numbers set a record for second day in a row]( - [The fate of odd recyclables, from decking to motorcyle parts, on exhibit at Minnesota State Fair](     GOING OUT - [The best new beers, slushies and boozy drinks to try at the State Fair]( - [Reviews of all the new foods at the 2024 Minnesota State Fair]( - [Children's Theatre Company’s new leader Rick Dildine brings Southern charm and ‘baby rave’ energy to post]( - [The 5 best healthy-ish things our food writers ate last week](   [Share this newsletter with friends]( Do you enjoy Essential Minnesota? Encourage your friends and family to [sign up](. You also can share it using the links below.   Republicans slam Walz on 2020 riot response House Speaker Mike Johnson stopped in Minneapolis on Sunday as he stumped for Joe Teirab, the Republican nominee in the 2nd Congressional District race. They stood in front of the charred Third Precinct building to criticize Gov. Tim Walz's response to the Lake Street riots that broke out after George Floyd's murder. “Right here, the hopes and dreams of countless small business owners and families literally went up in smoke,” Johnson said, flanked by Reps. Pete Stauber and Michelle Fischbach. Should he win, the closest Teirab's constituency would come to the Third Precinct is the neighborhoods south of the Minnesota River near Fort Snelling State Park. Sydney Kashiwagi has the [full details of Johnson's news conference here](. Sydney Kashiwagi/The Minnesota Star Tribune MORE FROM THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE - [How the Minnesota Council of Churches is bridging divides this election year]( - [Recounts called for two primary races in Bemidji and Mille Lacs County]( - [Accessible home with elevator and contemporary style listed for $699,000 in Red Wing]( ON THIS DAY IN 1981 Donald Black/The Minnesota Star Tribune Before we had the Loons, there were the Kicks. Minnesota snagged the team from Denver in 1976 and quickly became one of the North Star State's most winning franchises. The Kicks won four consecutive division championships, from 1976 to 1979. The team also consistently drew more than 20,000 fans to Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington. The Kicks played their last game on Aug. 26, 1981, in front of a crowd about half that size. The team defeated Tulsa 1-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals where they lost to Fort Lauderdale. Staff writer Bruce Brothers called the game "a dilly of a finish" to the Kicks' run at the storied stadium. This file photo of Kicks coach Geoff Barnett at practice with two of his players was taken May 16, 1981. He died in 2021. IN OTHER NEWS - [North Minneapolis faith leaders call for more resources, action after shooting of four children]( - Sahan Journal - [Minnesota on track for functional end to veteran homelessness in 2025]( - Pioneer Press - [More than half of violent crimes go unsolved in Minnesota]( - Minnesota Reformer     THE MINNESOTA GOODBYE Samantha Matsumoto via her iPhone In George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series and its TV adaptation, "Game of Thrones," it's said the Iron Throne rejects unworthy kings by cutting those would-be rulers and leaving its mark. It appears the Minnesota Star Tribune box at the State Fair similarly judges those who dare climb atop it without a valid claim. I posed on top of the box in front of the Strib stage Saturday afternoon, to bring one of last week's Minnesota Goodbyes full-circle. When I returned to the ground, I found a bloody scrape two inches beneath my right knee — nothing life-threatening, but the wound stung for the entirety of the five hours I toured the fair. Alas, this seems to be my penance for attempting to usurp Stribby the Gray Duck's birthright. I bend the knee and swear my fealty. An apology for Friday's edition of Essential Minnesota: It went out without the [link to this story]( about the best boozy drinks at the State Fair. Thanks for reading Eder Campuzano, reporter Patrick Condon, editor     [Premium digital access] GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO EVERY STORY [Premium digital access] GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS TO EVERY STORY [Subscribe]( SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER [Email]( [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe from this newsletter]( [Manage]( your preferences | [Opt Out]( using TrueRemove™ Got this as a forward? [Sign up]( to receive our future emails. View this email [online](. 650 3rd Ave. S. Suite 1300 | Minneapolis, MN 55488 US This email was sent to {EMAIL}. To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.