Minnesota State Fair Youth Scholarship Recipients Announced
St. Paul, Minn. – The Minnesota State Fair has long been invested in the educational endeavors of young adults from greater Minnesota and is pleased to announce the worthy recipients of the Minnesota State Fair Scholarship. The fair is committed to offer scholarship opportunities to deserving youth based on their leadership and achievement in youth livestock programs, as well as their involvement in the local community.
The 20 recipients of the Minnesota State Fair Scholarship are:
  • Lafe Aarsvold of Altura
  • Kelsey Biel of Harmony
  • Anakin Bosek of Garfield
  • McKayla Carlson-Hughes of Stanchfield
  • Maxwell Ehrich of Elmore
  • Abby Foss of Cambridge
  • Wyatt Halvorson of Goodridge
  • Ryan Hegland of Northfield
  • Lily Krona of Bemidji
  • Jordan Mueller of Arlington
  • Megan Olson of Hastings
  • Mikayla Opatz of Springfield
  • Issabella O’Rourke of Wells
  • Isabelle Patterson of Kenyon
  • Hayden Poquette of Wanamingo
  • Sophia Portner of Sleepy Eye
  • Megan Ratka of Cold Spring
  • Anna Ridenour of Dodge Center
  • Bryce Skiba of North Branch
  • Haley Van Nurden of Sunburg
The Minnesota State Fair Scholarship was established in 1994 and awards 20 scholarships of $1,000 each. Since its inception, nearly $500,000 has been awarded. The Minnesota State Fair Scholarships are being funded by the Minnesota State Fair Foundation. These scholarships were made available to rural youth or those enrolled in an agriculture program in 2020-21. Information about these scholarships can be found at mnstatefair.org/about-the-fair/awards-and-recognition/.
Additionally, two Christensen Family Scholarships were awarded to Hally Frandrup of Hastings and Emily Matejka of Sherburn. These $1,000 scholarships were made available by Christensen Farms, one of the largest family-owned pork producers in the nation, through an endowment with the Minnesota State Fair Foundation.
The Minnesota State Fair is one of the largest and best-attended expositions in the world, attracting more than
2 million visitors annually. Showcasing Minnesota’s finest agriculture, art and industry, the Great Minnesota
Get-Together is always 12 Days of Fun Ending Labor Day. The fair is a quasi-state agency that is self-supporting and has not received state government funding of any kind since 1949. Visit mnstatefair.org for more information. The 2021 Minnesota State Fair runs Aug. 26 – Labor Day, Sept. 6.