The Giant Slide's legendary fair family from Roseville
Local family's multi-generational fair business continues to grow
Stacey Pittroff-Barona, Vice President of the Giant Slide, is the second generation of her legendary fair family. Her parents, Fred and Beverly Pittroff, were working as carnival food concessionaires in California when they came up with a new business idea that wouldn’t require so much overhead.
Operating at the Minnesota State Fair since 1969, the iconic yellow Giant Slide is a mainstay tradition for generations of fairgoers. But it’s not the only stand the Pittroff-Barona family operates at the fair. They also have a Cheese-on-a-Stick/Fresh Lemonade stand and Quench’d, a stand that serves lemonade and frozen lemon sorbet. The family also operates stands at other fairs, including the Wisconsin and Iowa State Fairs.
“We are a fair family—fair comes first,” Pittroff-Barona said.
That’s an understatement coming from someone who was literally married on the Giant Slide. On opening day of the fair in 1996, Stacey and her husband Rob Barona, along with their wedding party wearing formal tuxedos and gowns, climbed the 100 steps to the top of the slide. During a 7:00 pm sunset ceremony, they exchanged vows in front of thousands of quiet fairgoers (the ceremony audio was broadcast on speakers so everyone could hear), and then the entire wedding party slid down the slide afterwards!
This year the happy couple is celebrating 30 years of marriage.
The family lemonade recipe
The family lemonade recipe is surprisingly uncomplicated. The “secret” ingredient is to use the entire lemon, rind and all.
“We actually have a big commercial machine that you dump the lemons into and it pulverizes them almost to like a pulp,” and the citric acid is what makes their lemonade so good, according to Pittroff-Barona.
“There’s no weird ingredients. It’s lemons, water, and sugar. That’s it,” Pittroff-Barona said.
This year, Quench’d landed a spot on the coveted Official 2026 New Foods list with their Sweet Peach Lemonade Sparkler: fresh-squeezed lemonade layered with peach syrup and peach sweet cream cold foam, topped with a sprinkle of popping candy and garnished with a peach slice.
The family business grows
Stacey and Robby have lived in Roseville since 1995. Their daughters Isabella and Anibella, representing the third generation, were raised in Roseville and have also joined the family business.
When the Minnesota State Fair was cancelled in 2020, the family worked together to open their Cheese-on-a-Stick/Fresh Lemonade food stand at the Roseville VFW. Isabella and Anibella tried their hand at deep fried pickles, and they were an instant hit.
The two sisters secured a women in business loan to purchase and renovate a food trailer they call the Pickle Palace. They’ve since added dill fries to the menu, along with corn dogs, cheese-on-a-stick and lemonade. The Pickle Palace has been in residence at the Roseville VFW every summer since.
“We’re pretty proud and we’re pretty excited that they want to continue the tradition…that fills my heart,” Pittroff-Barona said.
“Although our business takes us from fair to fair each summer, Roseville has always been the place we call home. We are grateful to be part of a community that has embraced our family, supported our business, and helped create three generations of fair memories. We look forward to continuing that tradition for many years to come,” she said.
During the Minnesota State Fair, you can find their Cheese-on-a-Stick/Fresh Lemonade stand on the west side of Nelson Street at Dan Patch Avenue. Quench’d is located on the south side of Dan Patch Avenue, between Nelson and Underwood Streets. The Giant Slide is located on the east side of Nelson Street.
Listen to the Info Booth Ladies podcast episode with Stacey Pitroff-Barona from 2022 here.
Kristen Donaldson and Margie McCarron are Roseville residents who work together in a Minnesota State Fair information booth. They are the co-hosts of the Info Booth Ladies podcast, an unofficial, behind-the-scenes podcast about the Minnesota State Fair. Sharing lots of laughs along the way, they love to learn about the people and traditions that make our fair the Great Minnesota Get-Together!
