State Fair Prep: Before The Fun, Comes The Labor
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Getting ready for the State Fair is like throwing a huge party where you know the guests will arrive early, stay late and make a big mess. That's why it takes so much time and effort to get everything in its place.
But before the fun, comes the labor. Big trucks filled with what's needed to make that State Fair magic line the streets.
This year, Pronto Pups is adding a newly remodeled building to its many locations, one that's much larger than it's traditional booths.
"This is like a dream come true to us," Wayne Karnis of Pronto Pups said. "Now all the crews, the batter crew, the hot dog crew, the delivery--they can all start to work at the same time."
They're getting a jump on spearing hot dogs and stocking up on liquid shortening and bags of Pronto Pup flour.
"That will be gone before the fair is over," Karnis said.
Inside The World's Greatest French Fries, workers are cleaning the fryers.
"It's a mess," vendor Patrice Dworak said. "I'm tired before the fair starts."
We found Dworak waiting for her cooking oil to arrive.
"I have someone here to help me load, put all the oil in the fryers, and then I need to light them all and make sure sure they are all in working order. And if not, I gotta call and make sure someone can fix my fryers," she said.
At The Ballpark Cafe, the first deliveries of beer have arrived.
The Mighty Midway is already alive with activity as workers get the rides ready to go.
And at the WCCO booth, our coworkers are setting up the lights above the news set and getting ready to give our guests a taste of the tug of war, known as Pulling Together.
If you want to save some money on admission tickets and ride tickets, buy them before the fair starts. There's pre-fair discount pricing, and the tickets are good for any day of the fair.
You can buy them online, at the fair box office or at Cub Foods locations throughout the Twin Cities.
