ST. PAUL, Minnesota — The Minnesota State Fair opened at 9 a.m. Tuesday, two hours later than scheduled, due to a delay caused by severe weather.
Fair organizers said on-site parking is open, as are park-and-ride lots. Some vendors and attractions may not be open immediately.
As of 9:30 a.m., Midway, Kidway and Adventure Park are still closed.
The fair had initially announced a postponement at 6:15 a.m. Tuesday. An hour later, organizers said the fairgrounds would be “closed until further notice for damage assessment and debris cleanup” and asked the public not to attend the fair.
Thunderstorms hit the metro, including the fairgrounds, Monday night and Tuesday morning. Fair officials postponed Monday night’s Grandstand performance before canceling it altogether. All free live entertainment was also canceled, and all Mighty Midway and Kidway rides and games closed early for the night.
As Tuesday morning’s storms move out of the Twin Cities, a cooler day should follow.
During the first four days of the fair, two daily attendance records were broken and total attendance exceeded 629,000 visitors.
WCCO Staff
