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Minnesota State Fair

One Prince and two Toms: Minnesota State Fair animal babies named after musicians

Photos by Maia Jacobson/MPR
Photos by Maia Jacobson/MPR

by Maia Jacobson

September 03, 2018

The Miracle of Birth center is easily one of my favorite parts of the fair; baby animals are irresistibly cute. This year as I was visiting the barn for the second time I noticed that nearly all of the babies had little name plaques on their pens. Many of the babies had been given names that referred to their State Fair birthplace (Cheesecurd, Milkshake, Martha), but a handful were named after musicians, including a lamb named Prince.

First spotted were lamb triplets named Peter, Paul, and Mary who were born on Aug. 28 at 9 p.m.

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Mary having a drink while Paul hides behind mom.
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Peter takes a rest, being three days old is exhausting.

Next up was another lamb who was named after Minnesota's beloved, Prince. He was born as a twin on Aug. 26 at 5 a.m.; his sister is named Daisy.

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Prince gets at an itch.

Next were the turkeys. While they are not exactly babies — they were born in March — and they did not have name plaques, a National FFA volunteer told me that they had been calling the two Tom Waits and Tom Petty.

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Next was a Blue Flemish Giant rabbit whose name is Feisty. This one might be a stretch given that her name is likely a warning about her behavior rather than a tribute to the Canadian indie-pop singer, but I thought she deserved to be featured anyway.

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Not featured is the blaze orange tag on the cage that said "She's Feisty! Do not touch! Thanks"
Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.