Vendors At Oklahoma State Fair Thankful For Busy Opening Weekend

Having the Oklahoma State Fair back in full swing has fairgoers excited, but the vendors are also relieved.

Vendors here at the Oklahoma State Fair said there's been a great turnout the last couple of days, and it's extremely appreciated after a difficult year.

Fairgoers packed the State Fair for the first time in over a year. Vendors said they're not complaining about the traffic, it's something many like Gary Zaitshik with Wade Shows Incorporated haven't been able to say since the start of the pandemic.

“From that time when the pandemic started, we were shut down all the way through 2020 until the end of the year and in '21 we were able to open back up again, so we weathered that storm, but it was very challenging, very, very difficult,” Zaitshik said.

Rhonda Tallent with the Guilty Pleasure Food Truck said this is their fourth time attending the fair. During the pandemic, they were able to attend smaller events, but nothing compares to the business she gets from setting up shop at the fair.

“Yesterday we were asked to cater a wedding, and we were also asked to come to an event in which they have a food truck that comes once a month I think we were asked to go to that, so I’m hoping our name gets around,” Tallent said.

Now that the fair is back, things are not completely back to normal. Some vendors are now having to deal with the side effects of the pandemic.

“We are struggling with the help situation. I feel like the whole world is short on help. We hire a lot of people locally to take care of the things we need to do to get the job done,” Zaitshik said.

Zaitshik said when his team sets up at the fair they look to hire 40 to 60 people from that area. They said they were able to hire enough people for the State Fair, but more help is still needed.

The fair will run until September 26th.