At the 2026 Minnesota State Fair, held August 27 through September 7, Consortium Senior Administrative Director Dori Henderson, PhD, won two blue ribbons! She took home first place for light rolled cookies (Class 1051) and for pound cake (Class 1041) in the Baked Products Division of the Minnesota State Fair's Creative Activities Competition. Henderson’s winning baked goods included rolled sugar cookies flavored with cinnamon and cardamom and a classic light pound cake with a hint of nutmeg. She has been entering her baked goods for more than a decade, placing several times over the years before scoring her much anticipated first blue ribbon in 2025. A lifelong lover of the Minnesota State Fair, Henderson attends as many events as she can each year. Some of her favorites include the amateur talent contest, the University of Minnesota exhibits, and the butter sculptures, also known as Butter Heads. At this year’s fair, the UMN AI Hub generated images for fairgoers of themselves in the style of the iconic Butter Heads. Henderson was tickled to see what her own Butter Head might look like, declaring this one of the best giveaways of the fair this year. The AI Hub is a Consortium member center.
