Vendors Await Decision On Future Of 2020 Minnesota State Fair

MINNESOTA STATE FAIRGROUNDS, MN — Dan Wozniak has more than 170 employees he's worried about if the Minnesota State Fair is canceled this summer. The owner of the immensely popular "Fresh French Fries" stands says he and other vendors don't know if the state fair board will decide to run or cancel the fair this August.

The fair board will meet Friday to discuss the future of the 2020 fair.

"It's hard to say what's going to happen," Wozniak told Patch last week. "There's an enormous amount of pressure on the administration out there to run the thing, both on a financial level but also an emotional level, social level."

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There's no doubt we're in for a strange and unprecedented Minnesota summer, with countless events canceled and new restrictions in place to reduce outbreaks of the coronavirus. However, a cancellation of the fair — perhaps the most iconic piece of Minnesota culture around — would present a "through the looking glass" moment for the state. The Minnesota State Fair has been around since 1859, a year after Minnesota was granted statehood.

The Minnesota State Fair sees more than more than 2 million visitors each year, making the 12 day event one of the biggest expositions in the world. According to 2018 figures from State Fair officials, the fair creates $76.9 million in wages and 12,390 jobs annually, and brings in $9.9 million in tax revenue.

The State Fair’s overall Twin Cities economic impact is estimated at $268 million.

On top of visitors, the fair relies on agriculturists, commercial and competitive exhibitors, educators, entertainers, attraction operators, suppliers, contractors and many others. All of these industries and more are being heavily impacted by the coronavirus crisis.

On top of health concerns, there are plenty of organizational issues at play. For example, the cancellation of county fairs this summer would cause chaos for the state-level competitions.

"[The state fair board] is doing their best to try and figure out how to do it," Wozniak adds. "Whether that's possible or not, I don't know."

Asked about whether he could sell french fries outside the fair grounds if the fair was canceled, Wozniak said his immobile buildings — plus the health regulations around food — make it impossible. The only way he can run Fresh French Fries is if the fair runs.

Fair officials say there is no specific date by which a decision to hold the 2020 fair must be made.

In late April, fair general manager Jerry Hammer released a statement saying their board is "considering options" that will allow the fair to go on. However, "alternate fair dates, a change in duration of the fair, or significant restrictions are not being considered.

In other words, the fair will either run Aug. 27 through Labor Day, or it won't run at all.