Washington County Fair Serves As Test Run For Great Minnesota Get-Together
STILLWATER, Minn. (WCCO) -- Many Minnesotans are wondering whether the State Fair will go on as planned.
Some smaller fairs are in full swing in right now.
WCCO went to the Washington County Fair to see how it's operating and how fairgoers feel about the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
The Washington County Fair calls itself a little State Fair. They say they have the attractions but fewer lines.
This is a very special year for this fair. It's back, like many events, after a year off. The fair director says it was tricky getting vendors to commit, everyone wondering if there really was going to be a fair.
They are having the fair, and there was a solid turnout Wednesday.
No official COVID policies are in place. But there is a different lens through which people are looking at this fair, as you're about hear from three perspectives: The director, the vendors and the people who came to play.
"We have people here now and it was like a morgue last year and it's just so nice to be back and see people having some fun," Director Dorie Ostertag said. "If you don't feel comfortable being out in a crowd or if you haven't had your shot, we hope that you would have the sense to make the right decision."
"I hope we just have a fantastic fair and that everything goes well, as well as it can," vendor Alex Docken said. "It will be what it will be, right? We just show up and make tots."
"I feel OK," student Cacelia Lee said.
"I mean, 'cause we're outside," Emily Calicto, another student, said. "But another thing is, plus we don't know, 'cause it could still, I don't know how to explain it, but it's still kind of scary, too."
So if this is any indication of the fair to come, things are pretty open.
WCCO spoke to the State Fair again Wednesday about their plan. As of now, the fair has no new mask or distance protocols. They are considering options like capacity limits and monitoring vaccine status, so stay tuned.