Minnesota State Fair neighbors growing community, profit during 12-day run
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Hundreds of thousands of people made it out to the Minnesota State Fair this weekend.
It's a two-week stretch like no other for the people who live near the fairgrounds.
Dan Duda takes off work during the fair to run a parking lot in his front and back yards.
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"I feel good charging $30," Duda said. "I don't feel like I charge too much that people don't have room to go and spend their money in the fair. That's why they're coming here."
Duda says he makes $10,000 to $15,000 parking cars.
Many of his neighbors have organized a neighborhood watch during the fair to help keep everyone safe.
"We just check in with people, walk around and see how everybody's doing," said Jennifer Victor-Larsen, one of the watch's leaders.
They partner with a violence interrupter group as well as St. Paul police.
"There are incidents, fights, those sorts of things, but they've been pretty well-controlled," Victor-Larsen said. "Neighbors will try to help and defuse the situation. And if that doesn't happen, then someone else is called."
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Victor-Larsen says police have been called a few times in the first days of the fair, but most of what they do is helping with medical needs or directing people who are lost.
We asked the State Fair if there have been any arrests inside thus far, but officials didn't immediately get back to us.
