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Minneapolis News
Chandra Colvin
Updated:

Storms interrupt fifth annual Black Entrepreneur State Fair  

cleanup of debris after storms
Community members and volunteers helping to finish cleanup after severe storms interrupted the Black Entrepreneur State Fair at the Cabooze Plaza in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
Chandra Colvin | MPR News

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Storms ripped through the metro Monday night, leaving behind fallen trees and thousands without power. The Minnesota State Fair saw a late start Tuesday morning with crews working to clean up from damage caused by strong winds and heavy rain.  

The storms also interrupted the fifth annual Black Entrepreneur State Fair in Minneapolis leaving vendors’ tents damaged and business goods scattered throughout the Cabooze Plaza located on Cedar Avenue. 

“A lot of people’s stuff that they had to leave behind was soaking wet. There was garbage everywhere, there was food everywhere. Those winds blew everything that was out here across the whole fairgrounds,” said Destinee Shelby, who is a founder of the fair.  

The fair brings Black-owned businesses and vendors together to empower and foster community. Shelby says the storms started during the late evening while the fair was still going on.  

Shontay Evans is one of the entrepreneurs who was able to pack their tents and goods away before the storm began to pick up. She says she went right away in the morning to help with the clean-up process.  

“We are resilient people,” Evans added. “We make it happen when nobody can make it happen, so we just have to rebuild.”

Shelby says that no one was hurt despite several food vendors being stuck in their trucks until the storm settled. Other vendors and fairgoers took shelter in nearby buildings.  

Community members and volunteers were up bright and early to help with the cleanup process. 

“This is equally important as any other event that is happening right now,” Shelby said.  

The fair will resume on Wednesday and will run through Aug. 31.  

Correction (Aug. 27, 2024): A previous version of this story misstated how long the Black Entrepreneur State Fair has been running. The above story has been updated.