Every year, the North Dakota State Fair welcomes almost 700 vendors to the State Fairgrounds, which makes for a pretty unique shopping experience. In no other place in the state can you purchase an RV in the same place you can purchase skin care products. Facing all those shopping options can be a little daunting. So we’ve come up with a few unique vendors that have some amazing products that we think are worth a look. Check them out during the North Dakota State Fair, July 20-28!
Coco Bongos– Coco bongos has been with the North Dakota State Fair for a few short years but they are certainly making it a running tradition to return and provide us with exciting drinks each year. Coco Bongos has been sharing their original idea since 1994, traveling across 28 states and Canada for major sporting events, street festivals, music festivals, art shows, and other special events. They join us all the way from Daytona Beach Florida. The State of the Art unit is an attraction to guests just as much as it is a vendor to the fair. They offer an experience unlike any other booth by providing an exciting night club experience for all fairgoers to enjoy, giving off the feel of a tropical oasis. This unique mobile sports bar has amazing features for its guests unlike any other, including flat screen TV’s, a Laser Light Show, Dancing Waters (a one of a kind water feature), and Fiber Optic lighting. This stand offers flavor filled frozen drinks in fun and unique cups that are great for the whole family to enjoy! This is a must for all who join us at the North Dakota State Fair.
Some of their specialty beverages include:
“Bahama Mamma”- a tropical blend of strawberry, cherry, and kiwi
“Pina Colada”- the perfect blend of pineapple, coconut, and cream
“Mango Madness”- a blended island favorite
“Miami Vice”- the great taste of Pina Colada with a hint of strawberry
“Ja Makin Me Crazy”- Caribbean infused strawberry lemonade
Goodon Industries– Goodon Industries pioneered post frame construction in Western Canada in 1967. As the leading post-frame construction company in Canada for over 50 years, recognized for their quality, value and service; at Goodon they strive to bring the best the industry has to offer, and build that experience into every project. Sprawling across Western Canada and the U.S. Goodon Building Consultants are available in:
CANADA: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia
US: Montana, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Their capability to deliver the best customer experience has grown exponentially over the years, keeping up with demand and pushing innovation with multiple distribution hubs, a metal fabrication facility, and expert Building Crews; many with close to 30 years of experience.
Every Solid Press laminated post is manufactured at their facility in Boissevain. That gives them total control over the quality throughout the entire fabrication process. In the end, delivering an all-weather post, built strong, built to last. Each post has a life expectancy of 75 Years.
Goodon metal comes with a 40 year paint warranty on walls and roofs. A proprietary resin technology is used so colors stay true for maximum retention and resistance to fading. Goodon Industries guarantees the trusses on your building are built according to the National Farm Building Code and Building Code. Designed to withstand the various wind and snow load conditions for your area.
Their building style has proved to be efficient to build, exceptionally strong, and virtually maintenance free. Be sure to swing by their booth and discover how their dedication to the customer and product can impact your operation for the better!
Lilac + Mae- Lilac + Mae is an online boutique coming to the North Dakota State Fair, the first of its kind in Minot. This boutique features clothing for babies, kiddos, and mammas, along with a variety of shoes, hats, pacifier clips, headbands, bibs, blankets, and diaper bags. Building Lilac + Mae from scratch was the perfect idea for a brave mamma who was inspired and passionate about providing mammas and their babies with a new shop for maternity and baby clothes.
While she was pregnant she was disappointed in the choices for maternity clothing. Mariah continued to think about how badly Minot needed more choices for maternity clothing. After doing much research she found that she could provide this much needed service to the population of Minot, and all of the great surrounding smaller population towns that come to Minot to shop. She started researching brands, making sure they reached her expectations and reached out to see if they would be interested in partnering with a start up boutique in Minot, North Dakota.
This boutique was opened just this last May and the owner/founder Mariah Braasch is a born and raised Minot resident- she is excited to be able to provide mammas and their children with the opportunity to buy great clothing. You can find Lilac + Mae in Commercial Building 2 throughout all nine days of the fair, be sure to check them out and see the great clothing and accessories Lilac + Mae will be bringing to the North Dakota State Fair.
AgCinect- AgCinect is a comprehensive cloud-based solution capable of managing an entire farm and ranch operation from end-to-end. AgCinect is a tool to help farmers collect data from everything from sales and accounting, to seeding and livestock. When farmers house all their information in one place, they can utilize their data in meaningful and beneficial ways. From generating analytics to creating accounting and financial reports, AgCinect allows farmers to automate their operations, and turn data into an asset.
On crop operations, farmers can measure specific inputs from seed to sale on a crop lifecycle, and see exactly how much they profit off each acre and each crop type. Not just this year, but as far back as data is entered. Historical records allow for an overview insight of operations to help with future planning and past analysis. Being able to see specific inputs and planting dates allows the farmer to use insight to improve their success. Access to this data gives the visibility to see exactly what was lucrative and ultimately worked for the famer and what didn’t.
For cattle operations, ranchers can keep track of groups of cattle by customer pot, age, and pen. A calving calendar allows farmers to enter birthing information and track the animal’s entire lifecycle on the farm. Feedlot owners can also keep track of how many pounds of feed are used daily, doctoring fees, daily yardage, and headcount across different groups. And at the end of the month, they can automatically print and/or email invoices. All ranchers must do is enter inputs into the system once a day, and the data is stored and used in various ways to give them valuable feedback and automated invoices.
Tracking and housing all this information in one place makes it easy for the farmer to prepare for taxes, insurance, and financial requirements. Farmers no longer need to spend hours moving around numbers to see their income for each different part of their operation. Financials and accounting features allow the farmer to generate reports quickly when needed. Analytics provide the farmer with valuable insight into their operations. AgCinect is a product designed to improve the life and business success of the farmer and rancher.
Thomsen’s Root Beer- They have been a part of the North Dakota State Fair for 30 years. Father and son started selling Homemade Root Beer from the barrel in 1989. Over the years they have expanded to Hand Dipped Root Beer Floats, and Jumbo Soft Pretzels. More recently they have added Funnel Cakes to the menu. Each year they introduce a new twist to the perennial favorite as part of the North Dakota State Fair’s annual Food Frenzy. This year they will not only introduce a new Funnel Cake for the competition, but also bring back several past favorites. Those include The Chocolate Lovers, Strawberries and Cream, and the blue-ribbon winner The Carmel Turtle.
Thomsen Root Beer comes from an old family recipe perfected during the 1920s. It has continued to be popular with all who try it. Thomsen Root Beer has an old-time flavor that excites the taste buds of true root beer fanatics. They mix it in a big silver can, similar to a cream can. It’s been that way since the 1950s.
Root beer sales in the early days of the fair were much different than today. The root beer came from a large barrel and was poured from a tap directly into a glass mug. Customers had to drink the root beer while standing near the keg and then return the mug to the counter. Before, they sold root beer out of barrels. They had three tubs down below – wash, rinse and sanitize. When they came up with paper cups, customers could take the root beer with them.
The taps on the three root beer kegs sitting on the counter at Thomsen Root Beer stands today, are stamped 1956. The company that makes them has long gone out of business but Thomsen Root Beer is still served from the old-style faucets. It may seem like a small item but it points back to the very roots of original root beer and is a long standing tradition with the North Dakota State Fair and we encourage all Fairgoers to visit them and try the famous Root Beer.