Tilt-a-Whirl!

Eighty-five years ago, Herbert W. Sellner introduced the world to the Tilt-a-Whirl from his hometown of Faribault, MN. Only his second invention, the Tilt-a-Whirl was popular enough to spark the founding of Sellner Manufacturing Company, which remained a family business until just this year when it was sold to Larson International, Inc.


The amusement park favorite that twists and spins debuted at the 1927 Minnesota State Fair and now there is an estimated 600-700 rides in operation.


According to Wikipedia, "the ride is commonly known for making riders experience nausea."


You're welcome.

Love,

Minnesota.

Franklin Clarence Mars

As June comes to an end, we want to remind you that there are only five more days to celebrate National Candy Month with your favorite confections and pre-wrapped sweets.

When Franklin Clarence Mars made his Milky Way candy bar popular circa 1926, it was a 5-cent indulgence. He had founded Mar-O-Bar Co. in Minneapolis in 1920 and went on to give us other such checkout-line staples as Snickers, M&Ms, and Extra gum. In 2005, Americans consumed more than 200 million Milky Ways. Kudos, Mr. Mars. Kudos.


You're welcome.

Love,

Minnesota.

Food on a stick

Corn dog or pronto pup? Corn dog? Pronto pup? At the Minnesota State Fair, you don't have to choose. Unless your appetite is already committed to the cornmealy goodness of the corn dog or the fried flouriness of the pronto pup, you can have both. And then you can have a third hotdog-on-a-stick when you've determined your personal preference.

It sounds strange to spend an entire day moving between smelly animal barns where cows are periodically born and roads lined with food stands to delight any palate, but we sure do. In fact, we have the largest daily attendance of any state fair in the nation. Why?

Food on a stick. Not just cotton candy and corn dogs but also alligator, camel, candy bars, fruit, pie, macaroni and cheese, pizza, pork chops, s'mores, waffles, and so much more.

Chocolate-covered cheese cake on a stick?

You're welcome.

Love,

Minnesota.

Hubert Horatio Humphrey

Born 100 years ago in South Dakota, Hubert Horatio Humphrey is one of Minnesota's most cherished adopted sons. He served the public as Mayor of Minneapolis, United States Senator from Minnesota, and Vice President of the United States.

"To those who say, my friends, to those who say, that we are rushing this issue of civil rights, I say to them we are 172 years (too) late! To those who say, this civil rights program is an infringement on states' rights, I say this: the time has arrived in America for the Democratic Party to get out of the shadow of states' rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights!"

photo courtesy of harbour-square.com

Thank you, Mr. Humphrey, for choosing our state in which to do your good work. To the rest of this great country...

You're welcome.

Love,

Minnesota.

Silence

Minnesota is home to the quietest place on Earth. Orfield Labs is a research facility in south Minneapolis that shares space with Sound 80 recording studios. Sound 80 isn't as heavily used for recording as it was in the past, when albums such as Bob Dylan's Blood on The Tracks were recorded. Today, the building is home to an anechoic chamber, used for research on various sound pressure level affected devices. Guinness Book of World Records cites the facility as "the quietest place on Earth," and home of the first ever digital recording studio. I've been in there, and let me tell you, negative sound pressure levels are weird. Ever hear your heart beat...from inside of you?

photo courtesy of Tate Carlson at metromag.com

So the next time you are faced with an awkward/eerie/peaceful quiet, remember that Minnesota has taught the world about perfect silence.

You're welcome.

Love,

Minnesota.