It was still dark as Alise Secor and Brittany McVeigh sipped large coffees just inside the entrance of the Minnesota State Fair early Thursday morning.
The 31-year-old friends took off work for their annual trip to the fair, which they've been attending together for a decade. They weren't always among the early risers, but after 2020's COVID-19 cancellation, they couldn't wait any longer to return.
"We were just too excited," Secor said.
Concerns about the pandemic and an afternoon thunderstorm reduced opening-day traffic at the State Fair, which kicked off at 6 a.m. Thursday after a yearlong hiatus. But the rain did not deter thousands of eager attendees from making their long-awaited return to Minnesota's beloved 12-day get-together, which many deem the unofficial end to summer.
"This is something we look forward to every single year," said Jenny Brown, who came to the fair with her family from River Falls, Wis.
Longtime fairgoers remarked on subtle differences perhaps indicative of the pandemic's lingering effects. There was barely a line in the normally jam-packed area outside Sweet Martha's Cookies during lunch hour. The mini-doughnut stand installed plexiglass in what used to be open-air windows. A handful of booths in the Education Building and elsewhere were left empty after about 50 vendors dropped out of the fair due to concerns about the fast-spreading delta variant of the coronavirus in the weeks leading up to the event.
Fair attendees are encouraged — but not required — to wear masks indoors and in crowded outdoor spaces. Fair officials received criticism on social media for not mandating face coverings or vaccines, but organizers said they did not have the capacity to enforce such policies.
"I just want to be respectful of others," said Dan Blake, of Blaine, who donned a mask before entering the packed Merchandise Mart to escape the midday downpour. More than half of the others sheltering in the building did not wear masks.
