One of Clinton Smith’s award winning intarsia pieces. Photos: Chris Emeott
Area residents showcase their creativity and skill at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
While researching my ancestry this spring, I came across a newspaper clipping that stopped me in my tracks. My late great-grandmother, Mary Mack, won the style revue at her county fair five years in a row and frequently entered garments in the Wisconsin State Fair along with her sisters. The family received a nod in their town’s paper in 1945, and here I was, 80 years later, discovering this part of her for the first time.
This discovery led me down a rabbit hole on the age-old tradition of Minnesota State Fair competitions—and it’s beautiful indeed to see just how many White Bear Lake area residents enter each year. I’d like to introduce you to a few of these humans, and encourage you to consider getting involved in these vibrant competitions—whether at the state or county fair. I know I will!
Clinton Smith
Intarsia and Scrolling
Clinton Smith’s blue-ribbon journey began at home, where he honed his woodworking skills over decades through house remodels. His late wife, Cynthia Smith, had a vision of what their home could be, and Clinton worked to make her dreams a reality. Upon his retirement from Ramsey County in 2001, Clinton bought a scroll saw and started learning the fine art of scrolling and intarsia.
In 2012, Clinton’s family encouraged him to enter his creations in the Minnesota State Fair. “I got a ribbon, and then I decided to just keep doing it,” he says. Since then, Clinton has entered two pieces of art each year in the Handcrafts and Work of Senior Citizens categories and been awarded 15 blue ribbons. At 88, the White Bear Lake resident hasn’t been able to attend the state fair in years, but his sister-in-law, Mary Mackey, enjoys standing near Clinton’s displayed pieces and chatting with fairgoers about the technique and hard work that goes into making such art.
Clinton estimates he spends as many as 250 hours on his large intarsia pieces. It’s a labor of love that he’s not ready to quit, as long as he still has the steady hands and focus to continue. “I really enjoy looking at them. That’s why I haven’t quit,” Clinton says.
Kelly Carlson
Moss and Botanical Art
Each one of Kelly Carlson’s art pieces is one-of-a-kind, made with botanicals and preserved moss.
At an art fair in 2024, a jury member of the Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Competition discovered Kelly Carlson’s work and encouraged her to enter. The White Bear Lake resident’s piece, Sonder in Blues, made with preserved moss and botanicals over acrylic on canvas, was one of 336 works selected from 2,836 submissions for the 2025 competition. Of seeing her work displayed in the Fine Arts Center, Carlson says, “I walked in, and I got so emotional. I immediately teared up … thousands and thousands of people walk through there every year, and I just had no idea.”
Kelly Carlson
The piece went on to receive a sponsored award from the Info Booth Ladies podcast, and the “whirlwind” experience changed the way Carlson viewed herself and her art. “The only reason I applied was because somebody encouraged me to,” Carlson says. “How wonderful is that? To be a brand-new artist … and to be welcomed so quickly. It’s just been a really lovely, humbling experience.”
Carlson, who sells her art under her business Moss Botanica, has had no shortage of commissions since last year’s fair. She plans to enter the Fine Arts Competition again in 2026 and return to the fair to explore new sights and sounds. “I don’t think I really realized what I was missing for so long,” Carlson says.
The Vosooneys
Baking
Riley, Alex and Foster Vosooney will all enter baked goods at the 2026 Minnesota State Fair.
Entering baked goods at county and state fairs has become an annual tradition for the Vosooney family of Grant. When Alex Voosoney, a passionate home baker, won Grand Champion for an apple tart at the Washington County Fair, she decided to up the ante at the Minnesota State Fair.
Now, Alex enters 20 categories, the state fair’s maximum, a process that requires extensive preparation and baking, especially now that her 16-year-old daughter, Riley Vosooney, enters independently. “It’s usually a very busy day of baking for the 36 hours before we go do drop off,” Alex says. To ensure her baked goods are as fresh as possible, Alex will bake all night and into the morning. It’s a worthwhile endeavor, as Alex has placed second, third, fourth, and fifth in multiple categories.
Alex Vosooney’s Washington County Fair “Grand Champion” open apple tart.
Alex’s husband, Tony Vosooney, is responsible for transporting the delicate pies, sweet rolls and brownies to the fairgrounds on the Saturday before the fair opens. Then, the Vosooneys carefully stack their goods in a wheeled cart and wait in line to drop off. “We do fight over the oven, but it’s great because then we’ll stand in the line and bond. It’s fun,” Riley says.
Riley Vosooney’s signature unfrosted brownies.
This summer, the Vosooneys will have three representatives at the Creative Activities Building as 14-year-old Foster Vosooney meets the age minimum to enter. The family has already found a solution for sharing
the oven. “I think this year, me and my brother are going over to my grandparents’ house to cook, so [my mom] can have the house,” Riley says.
Creating for Competition
There are many ways to participate in Minnesota State Fair competitions. While 4-H, Future Farmers of America and livestock exhibitions are the bread and butter of fair culture, people of all ages can also showcase their creative skills at the fair.
The Ag-Hort-Bee Competition encompasses bee and honey products, home-brewing, flowers, vegetables and a very popular crop art category. Registration closes in early August.
Dancers, instrumentalists, singers and performers of all kinds are welcome to participate in the Amateur Talent Contests. Auditions take place in late July.
Creative Activities is the place for Minnesotans to enter collections, baked goods, hand crafts, preserved foods and more. Registration closes in early August.
The Fine Arts Center hosts an annual art exhibit, featuring hundreds of works of various media. Registration closes in early July.
The K–12 Competition engages students to showcase original work created over the last year in disciplines, such as creative writing, drawing, photography, robotics, welding and more. Registration closes in early August.
Visit mnstatefair.org for rules and registration information.
