Played May 26-28, 2023
Reviewed by the Pink Putter
In May of 2023, the Minnesota State Fair held their somewhat new, annual event called “Kickoff to Summer at the Fair“, which is essentially a start-of-the-summer, weekend long fair preview with 30+ vendors. The actual fair takes place August 4th – Labor Day, 2023. As part of the Kickoff event, local mini golf course Can Can Wonderland created a 9 hole, fair themed course called “Mini Golf on a Stick” that was designed by us! We had a lot of fun with this one, as we love the fair. And the even better news? It got accepted into the full fair this year! So, if you missed it in May, make sure to swing by its new location at the North End of the fairgrounds, north of Murphy Avenue and The Hangar, east of Underwood Street (see map below).
Rating
Since we designed the course, we’re definitely bias, but this course hits the top of our rankings. Each hole features a different theme of the fair – from the front entry gates and food-on-a-stick to the Giant Slide and everything in between. Bold colors, fun and varied game play and LEDs on almost every hole make for a spectacular “mini” fair experience. The description on the State Fair website reads:
“No ifs, ands or putts, this mini golf adventure is the place to par-tee! Can Can Wonderland brings you a clever nine-hole course made up entirely of famous State Fair landmarks – the Space Tower, Haunted House, DNR Park, Giant Slide and Ferris wheel, plus there’s a Hole-stein, fun fair food structures and more!”
While we designed the course and scorecard, it was fabricated by a mix of 4 different shops in town including Street Factory Media (Main Gate Fairway and DNR Park holes), Evergreen Creative (Fair Game and Giant Slide Plinko holes), Atomic Props & Effects (Space Tower & Fair Foods on a Stick and Haunted House holes) and the in-house shop at Can Can Wonderland (Blue Ribbon Winning Hole-stein, Ferris Wheel and Can Can You Ring the Bell? holes). This resulted in somewhat varied execution of each hole, adding to the eclectic feel of the overall course, perfect for the aesthetic of Can Can! For more behind-the-scenes images of the design, head over to minigolfdesigners.com
Pros
Fun, state-fair themed holes with clever and challenging game play
Great photo ops
A perfect fair activity for the whole family
Cons
Location at the Kickoff to Summer event led to lots of tree debris on the course
Nerdy Notes
- 9 holes, par 27
- $10 per person; children 3 and under are free with a paid adult
- Open daily, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (8 p.m. Labor Day, ticket sales close at 7:30 p.m.)
