Minnesota State Fair attendance rebounded to 1.8 million this year, with many fairgoers returning after skipping last year's event due to COVID-19.
This year's 12-day extravaganza fell short of beating the all-time attendance record of 2.1 million set in 2019, though attendance was up from 1.3 million in 2021. It remains unclear whether emerging public safety concerns — including two Labor Day weekend incidents that drew a sharp rebuke from Gov. Tim Walz — may have affected attendance.
One person was shot in the leg just after 10 p.m. Saturday near the entrance to the Mighty Midway, forcing authorities to close the fairgrounds early as crowds rushed to the exits. Though law enforcement officials responded by doubling their presence for the fair's final two days, a man was shot at 8:35 p.m. Monday just outside the southeast corner of the fairgrounds, less than a half-hour from the fair's official end.
"These incidents of senseless violence are totally unacceptable, and we as a society have to look at all of the pieces that go into this," Walz said at a news conference Tuesday.
Walz said 60 agencies participated in efforts to boost State Fair security, including the State Patrol and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
"We have to have a zero tolerance with this," he said.
The governor renewed a call for the Legislature to return to the Capitol in a special session and pass a package of public safety proposals that includes funding for local communities to hire more police officers and social workers and pay for needed equipment. He also said there are too many guns on the street and officials need to make it "as difficult as possible for folks to be getting these guns."
"This is not a crime of poverty. This is not someone stealing baby formula or something," he said. "This is someone shooting a firearm in a crowded area. That's totally unacceptable."
