Joel and Teresa Anderson grew up going to the fair and moved to the neighborhood when they bought their first house. They have entered competitions in various Creative Activities categories, as well as the crop art and scarecrow divisions. Joel has been a volunteer with the Foundation for years. They love the fair and that is why they’ve been supporting the Foundation over the years.
What are some of your happiest moments/stories at the fair?
Some of our fair memories are funnier in retrospect, such as trying to wash up after our 1-month-old infant’s diaper leaked all over us, or the time when Joel pushed my 93-year-old mother in a wheelchair to and from our house and around at the fair all day, and got ZERO step credit from his fitness device because he wasn’t moving his arms.
Perhaps our most memorable experience happened when our family went to the Chicks concert in 2016. The warm-up act suggested people introduce themselves to their neighbors, so our son turned to the woman next to him and said, “Hi, I’m Norris.” She replied, “Is your name Norris Fredric?” He admitted that it was, and she then correctly guessed his birth date. We were getting a little freaked out, wondering if she was the Midway fortune teller, when she explained that her twin sons had been born in the same hospital at the same time. As our baby weighed almost 10 pounds at birth and looked like a giant compared to her twin boys, Norris’s name (displayed over the nursery bassinet) had been part of their family lore for over 30 years!
You became Friends of the Fair in 2007. What prompted you to give this gift?
We have both been going to the fair since we were children growing up in Minneapolis in the 50’s and 60’s. When we got married in 1975, we lived in the University’s ‘married student housing’ for three years, with a small apartment that looked right out over the Ferris wheel. Since we liked the neighborhood, we bought a house nearby in 1979, so we have been able to walk, bike, or take a city bus to the fair ever since.
We have entered competitions in various Creative Activities categories, as well as the crop art and scarecrow divisions. We have played with a community band on a parade float, and Joel has volunteered with the Foundation for years. Both of our children started working at the fair as soon as they were old enough, and our son still works weekends every year in the Food Building even though he has full-time employment.
Since we love the fair, we think it’s only ‘fair’ to support it.
Why do you continue to support the Foundation?
In 2020, when a possible cancellation was being discussed due to Covid, the local newspapers covered the unfolding story seemingly on a weekly basis. It was a BIG DEAL. The fair obviously means a lot to Minnesotans and we want to help as much as we can.
You’ve been giving consistently since then (thank you!) and recently set up a Charitable Gift Annuity to support the Minnesota State Fair Foundation. What prompted you to support the fair in this way?
We are fortunate to have money to give, so a few years ago we went to a presentation about planned giving to learn about options. We decided that a charitable gift annuity (CGA) was a good choice for us at this point of our lives (age 67). A CGA provides a steady income at a decent interest rate plus a tax break.
What do you hope to accomplish through your philanthropy?
As the fair does not receive State funding, it’s important to have enough private funding to continue to maintain and improve the facilities and experiences. The Minnesota State Fair Foundation’s website presents an impressive list of improvements/additions made in recent years, from such biggies as the State Fair History & Heritage Center to such necessities as more seating and trees.
As Teresa has been part of the crop art competition for a dozen years, and together we maintain the cropart.com website, we hope for future improvements to the very popular crop art area of the Ag-Hort building, both to improve visitor traffic flow and to better highlight the works of art.
What do you think other people should know about giving to the Fair through the Foundation?
When you give to the Minnesota State Fair Foundation, you can actually see and take advantage of the improvements yourself! For example, we love the CHS Miracle of Birth Center, the garden kaleidoscopes, and the public art installations, all funded by the Foundation. When you realize you’ve helped support what you see, and what a million people are excitedly exploring, it makes going to the fair even more special.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us today?
Teresa’s parents’ first date was at the fair!
