Visiting the State Fair this week?
Consider visiting the DFL booth on Dan Patch Ave., two blocks west of the Snelling Avenue entrance. At 1:00 each day the DFL will hold discussion panels on various topics.
• Aug. 29: Investing in the state’s future: Speaker of the House Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook.
• Aug. 30: Investing in higher education: U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison and Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul.
•Aug. 31: Environmental interest sees gains: Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, and Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Center.
• Sept. 1: Marriage equality: Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, will moderate a discussion about efforts to pass the bill.
• Sept. 2: Building a Better Minnesota: Steve Hunter, secretary-treasurer, AFL-CIO; Doug Peterson, executive director, Minnesota Farmers Union; Elliot Seide, executive director, AFSCME Council 5; and Phillip Cryan, organizing director, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota.
Don’t miss the Eco Experience located in the Progress Center on Randolph Avenue. Eco Experience is a partnership between the Minnesota State Fair, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and more than 120 organizations and businesses from across the state and it has become the second most popular exhibit at the fair. It is the largest environmental event of its kind in the nation in the last two decades. Highlights include a Gen Y house combining Gen Y lifestyle trends and sustainability principles, flexible living spaces, SuperWall technology, energy-efficient appliances and more; daily talks at noon on topics such as urban chicken farming and beekeeping, straw bale gardening and edible container design; and exhibits on local food in schools, children’s games, Minnesota’s drinking water, and a dramatic display of 12,000 aluminum cans which makes a powerful argument for recycling.