St. Paul Neighbors Offer Up Garages, Lawns For Up-Close Paid State Fair Parking

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- On the first Friday of the 2019 Minnesota State Fair, all of the free fair lots were full by 9:30 a.m., forcing fairgoers to find alternative parking options.

One option that gets people close to the fairgrounds and in secure locations is the garages of several St. Paul homeowners. Many of the homes along Snelling Avenue have cleaned out their garages and opened up their lawns for people to park for the fair.

For Joann Young and Tara Witte, it's been a tradition for the last 40 years. "We started out in 1979 at $3 (to park), so we thought that was big time," said Young.

Now, these two homeowners are parking people for $20 to meet demand, but there are perks that come with the price, including all-night security until the last cars leaves.

"We're extremely friendly and fun, we make parking fun for our people and we get repeat customers year after year after year," said Young.