Elm's Shaved Ice celebrates 50 years at Minnesota State Fair

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota State Fair is a grand tradition for plenty of fairgoers. But, one vendor is celebrating 50 years of serving up treats at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Elm’s Shaved Ice, originally a root beer stand, was started back in 1969 by Rick and Mary Kay Elm. 

In the late 1980s, the Elms started experimenting with shaved ice. Kevin Elm, Rick and Mary Kay’s son, said on their first day they sold about 20. In 30 years, their shaved ice business has grown into a booming business.

“We go through, boy I don’t know, 300-400 blocks of ice in a day,” Elm said.

Elm said he and his brother grew up helping out at the stand. 

“When I was 10,11 years old, I was opening the stand up,” Elm said. “We’ve had a lot of laughs out here. A lot of fun times.”

As he prepares to hand his business off to the next generation of his family, he said he’s excited to see the fair continue to grow.

“To get two million people in here, they’re doing something right,” Elm said.