Clergy dish up meatball sundaes, pickle ice pops and a little faith at the Minnesota State Fair

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — Faith has a deep-rooted presence at the Minnesota State Fair, from the decades-old Lutheran and Methodist dining halls to an evangelical chapel handing out thousands of free Bibles to a booth seeking to combat misinformation about Islam. For many faith communities, the fair has long been an opportunity to fundraise and, more importantly, to showcase faith-rooted hospitality and reach out to a diverse crowd that can top two million. For those late-summer fairgoers, faith initiatives offer chances to attend worship without leaving the fairgrounds, having sit-down “hamloaf” sandwiches and Swedish egg coffee at the crack of dawn – and experience a disappearing slice of unpolarized Americana, one pastor-served dill pickle popsicle at a time.