Minnesota state fair vendors prep for "marathon" final weekend
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — After a week with multiple severe storms, cancellations and delays, Friday at the Minnesota State Fair felt like a release of sorts.
"I think it was one of the busier days I've seen at the fair," said Dan O'Gara, owner of O'Gara's at the Fair. "People are excited just to get out on a beautiful day."
O'Gara, who says sales dipped with sagging attendance this week, is hoping for more of the same in the fair's final weekend – and he's not alone.
"Yesterday is what we've been dreaming for all week," said Kris Koch, Executive Chef at the Farmers Union Coffee Shop.
Koch says sales are almost directly tied to weather conditions.
"I think it's going to be a marathon finish for us," he said. "I'm crunching numbers in my head – are we going to have enough? I better get a couple more shipments of stuff, so we're ready to serve more sandwiches, so we have enough simple syrup to make the lemonade… we're ready."
Friday saw the highest number of attendees for the fair this year, with 225,521 people walking through the gates. On Saturday, that number dipped slightly but remained strong at 207,078 attendees.