Heat impacts on Olmsted County Fair vendors and crowds, future of grandstand
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(ABC 6 News) – It’s no secret the heat has been extreme over the past few days, however it’s not impacting vendors or crowds at the Olmsted County Fair.
No vendors stepped away because of the heat. In fact, there’s a waiting list of about 15 vendors who asked if there was a spot that opened up. As far as the people, they’re still coming to the fair. Just in shorter periods of time, or later in the day.
The heat is causing some issues for the temporary grandstand. As ABC 6 has reported, the 85-year-old grandstand was deemed unsafe after a routine inspection.
Related: Grandstand events good to go at the Olmsted County Fair
“Well, the temporary grandstand is a challenge. Unfortunately, we were forced to use temporary grandstands with the old grandstand being decertified,” said Scott Schneider, the President of the Olmsted County Fair Board. “We’re doing the best we can. The one thing that hurt us out there is we don’t have shade.”
It's no secret the heat has been extreme over the past few days. But it's not impacting vendors or crowds at the Olmsted County Fair...
As far as when the grandstand will be fixed, that is still up in the air. Schneider says it will need to be a conversation with county commissioners, the fair board, and Graham Park. It is also a question of whether or not a new grandstand will be built instead.
There are plenty of air-conditioned buildings and shady spots if you’re looking to take a break from the heat. There are also a number of grandstand events left at the fair. The fair ends on Sunday.