State Fair Preparations: Vendors - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

State Fair Preparations: Vendors

North Dakota State Fair vendor spots are not only full this year, but many are bigger than every before.
Jennifer Thorgramson takes us to the food court where the Straights are happy to be back on track with a family tradition.

Before the carnival thrills light up the Midway.
The lights have to be set in place.
(Shannon Straight, Straight's Concessions) "We're open! Let's go! NDSF. It's good to be home."
They come from near and far - but many closer than you think.
(Shannon Straight, Straight's Concessions) "My grandfather started out here at the North Dakota State Fair, I would venture to guess, 60 years ago, my father has been out here for 50 years. The Straights have a pretty long standing tradition here at the North Dakota State Fair."
Straight's Concessions brings in about 75 percent of their summer revenue at the North Dakota State Fair.
So 2011 did strike the bottom line, as well as three homes within the Straight family.
(Shannon Straight, Straight's Concessions) "To loose the State Fair, it's the time of year when everyone can get together so we lost that and of course the financial hardship but we're not alone. We're like a lot of other folks in Minot that are suffering."
But this week is about food, fun, and competition.
(Shannon Straight, Straight's Concessions) "We are involved with the Food Frenzy! We've got a number of folks who like to have a corndog on a bun. Folks have been requesting that so we're going to try that out. It seems like it's an awful lot of bread to me but we're going to do it with onions, peppers and then if you want a little zesty cheese sauce, we have a little spicy jalapeno we're going to put on there. We'll try that, see how it goes."
There are thrills that light your senses, creating memories for tomorrow.
And the lights of the Midway can melt the not so distant memories that linger.
(Shannon Straight, Straight's Concessions) "Come out, socialize a little bit, it's a chance to get together as a community. That's as important as anything right now. We all need to get out and get out of the flood recovery phase. I have volunteers painting at my mother's house today so I can cry about that. Just come out."
In Minot, Jennifer Thorgramson, KX News.

It's not only vendors moving in!
The Zipper was among the first of the carnival rides to make its way onto the Midway this afternoon.