By Kaia Ryden on September 15, 2024

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the biggest attractions in the entire country, bringing in an average of around 2 million visitors each year. People from all over the US come to enjoy themselves at the fair, bringing their cars full of family and friends with them. With all the ruckus and entertainment inside the fair, the world around the fair is often drowned out. Here is a look at life outside and behind the fair, coming from a local.  

I have lived just a couple blocks away from the fair grounds for my entire life. While the neighborhood is normally a cozy, friendly, and mostly quiet area for most of the year, it changes drastically during the fair.  

Many kids will set up lemonade stands to earn a couple extra bucks from the incoming visitors. One of my favorite memories as a kid is setting up a soda stand with my brother and some neighborhood boys at the end of our block every year. We always earned a little money and created a lot of good memories.  

Something I have always dreaded about fair time is parking. For the entirety of the two-week period, we can only park on one side of the street to make space for the extra cars that are coming through the neighborhood. For people that have their own driveways, this doesn’t cause too much stress, other than the increased traffic. For people like me and my family who park on the street in front of our house, this creates a big problem. People that are coming in from out of town, or who live too far away to walk, bring their cars into our neighborhoods looking for a good parking spot. This causes us to have to compete with others for a chance to park in front of our own houses.  

Luckily, the neighborhoods surrounding the fair can use their own yards to park cars when the parking situation becomes dire. My dad has been parking cars in our yard for as long as I can remember. It brings in a little money and gives the people coming in a safe place to park their cars.  

The fair brings people together, more than just inside the fair grounds. My neighbor invites my family and other neighbors to hang out around a bonfire in their front yard every year. We laugh, eat and chat until the fireworks go off and the fair closes for the night. We create community in every interaction we have with each other.  

Many people love the fair for the fun games, prizes, and food. Many businesses get more exposure by setting up in the fair. The fair is, all-around, a great opportunity for many people to do many things. While I personally don’t enjoy the fair that much, it is a great place to go at least once in your life. Unfortunately, Labor Day was the last day of the Minnesota State Fair, but the actual fair grounds hold many other events year-round. Other attractions held can be found here. 

Find something you might like and go have fun!