ST PAUL, Minn. — The state fairgrounds bustled with energy again on Tuesday, as vendors spent the afternoon preparing for the start of the Great Minnesota Get-Together in just two days.
North Carolina native Marie Thomas of R&R Ice Cream called it a sign that "the world is opening back up." Rich Rothstein of Morton Buildings said "it's good to be back," while Brett Rackstraw looks forward to seeing "all the smiles, the excitement, and joy we experience at the fair."
With the uncertainty of the delta variant, however, each vendor has a different comfort level with the COVID-19 situation.
At her ice cream stand, Thomas emphasized social distancing and hand-washing practices while noting that she feels "pretty comfortable" with the outdoor setting.
"It's not like we're inside with thousands of people," Thomas said. "Then I'd be more worried."
Rothstein, who said Morton Buildings relies on the fair for annual exposure to customers, said he also feels safe.
"I have no concerns," he said. "It's something we're going to have to deal with."
At Hawaiian Shaved Ice, Brett Rackstraw said he's eager to serve customers again after missing out on 2020, but he admitted to having some mixed emotions.
"I wish more people were vaccinated. It would make everyone better at ease," Rackstraw said. "With that said, it is outdoors, and if you're comfortable wearing a mask you can wear a mask."
Next door at the iconic Hamline Church Dining Hall, organizers said they're thrilled to return for their 124th year at the fair -- the longest such tenure of any food concession. However, they will not allow indoor seating "out of an abundance of caution and care for our volunteers and patrons," and they will only serve ice cream through a window. All volunteers will be masked and vaccinated, according to the dining hall's Facebook post.
Earlier this week, the rock band Low Cut Connie pulled out of the fair, citing the lack of a mask mandate or vaccine requirement.
According to the Minnesota State Fair's media department, about 150 vendors have pulled out over the past year, with about 50 making the decision to stay home in the last few weeks, "some due to health concerns, labor shortage or supply shortages." However, the fair has also added 70 vendors recently, bringing the overall total to 975 -- not far off from the yearly average of about 1,000 vendors.
Danielle Dullinger, a spokesperson for the Minnesota State Fair, said that the 150 lost vendors over the past year is a figure that deserves more context.
"In a typical year we do lose between 75 and 100. That could be for any number of reasons -- it's not in their marketing budget, they don't have staff or supply chain issues," Dullinger said. "We do deal with that turnover ever year. This isn't something that's super uncommon."
Some vendors, including Brett Rackstraw, have said that hiring staff is the biggest challenge right now.
"It's really tough. We're really going to run on a skeleton crew," he said. "As far as COVID and the variant goes, everyone's kind of on the same page. Excited to be out there, but hoping that we all stay safe. Ready to see people at the same time."