FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — This year, the great Minnesota Get-Together was instead the year we would all sweat together.
For fairgoer Nikki Tramm, the warmer weather didn’t deter her from visiting every single day.
“You just don't quite eat as much,” said Tramm about the higher temps. “You drink a lot more liquids and more ice cream just because it's cold.”
Temps topped out Monday at 98 degrees, breaking a Labor Day record set back in 1913. To kick off the fair, the mercury would hover around 100 several times with oppressive humidity.
On the second day, the fair set an attendance record of 164,741 people. That’s over 11,000 more people than last year.
“I think people are coming back to the fair since COVID,” said Shirley Baysinger. “I thought people wouldn’t be coming out, but they came out consistently.”
Baysinger was a park and ride attendant for the entire 12 days, working the fair for the last six years.
“It was a good time this year, too,” said Baysinger. “People were friendly and they thanked you for being there.”
Food and rides are always top of mind, but so, too, was security that had been a bit of a rollercoaster. At one point in year’s past, the fair’s police department had disbanded and staffing was short.
For the first time, multiple agencies patrolled the fair, including DNR conservations officers, this year. There were also an additional 170 police officers at the fair, made up from departments across the state.
Minnesota State Fair Police Chief Ron Knafla said that’s 40 more than last year, calling the recruitment effort a success.
“It felt really fun this year,” said Tramm. “This was a good vibe; good, happy vibe.”
Neither police nor fair spokesperson answered KARE 11's questions about the entirety of the event, saying they are doing their final wrap-ups.
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