Machinery Hill. Edibles on a stick. Livestock competitions. Princess Kay of the Milky Way. The Grandstand. The Midway. It must be State Fair time!

A Minnesota institution since 1859, the Great Get-Together draws more than one and a half million people to the annual "Twelve Days of Fun" leading up to Labor Day. Newcomers may wonder what all the fuss is about, but they soon find that the fair truly offers something for everyone.

One such newcomer is Susan Lambert Miller. After living in Minnesota for six years, she finally made her way to the fair-and was hooked. From ten thousand photographs shot over four years, Miller has selected 150 stunning images that capture the fair's essence and arranged them to surprise and delight: newborn ducklings waddle opposite duckies at a water game, a red hat lady joins a red hat llama, a super-sized hog reclines across from Famous Dave's food booth. These fresh and delightful photos and Lorna Landvik's charming "The Fair Maiden" capture the hilarity, the camaraderie, and the quirkiness that is the Minnesota State Fair.

Susan Lambert Miller is a nationally recognized photographer specializing in architectural views. She has visited so many county and state fairs that her children call her a "carny". Lorna Landvik is the beloved author of half a dozen novels, most recently The View from Mount Joy.