Slaving over a hot fryer on a 90-degree day is not how most people want to spend their time at the North Dakota State Fair. But it suits Zack Lee.
A student at Valley City State University, Lee said the money that he earns helping out at Tubby's restaurant comes in handy.
"It's a good chance to pad my pocket a little. It's kind of long hours but it's only nine days," said Lee, who often works from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. or later.
Lee is one of a number of people who find that the State Fair can be financially rewarding as well as fun.
Slicing vegetables at Tubby's, Mary Kester of Burlington called the job "relaxing" next to her regular work as a school teacher. In her third year with Tubby's, she enlisted her husband, Bruce, to help this year.
"I love this type of work. I love the interaction with the customer," Bruce Kester said.
"The best part about it is all the people you get to see," Mary Kester said. "We also wanted a little extra summer money for back to school. ... It's for my kids, for new clothes, sports fees."
Another school teacher, Pam Tweten, supervises the Commercial II building. She's been working for the fair since she was a teenager and directed grounds cleanup for 10 years before becoming assigned to the commercial building three years ago. Her background in picking up trash carries over in her penchant for keeping her building tidy.
She said there's a lot of camaraderie among the vendors who have come to know each other well over the many years they have come back. They have their established locations in the building that they aren't about to give up, as Tweten discovered last year when she tried to move a vendor one spot over.
Her job is to keep all the vendors happy and settle any problems that arise.
"We don't like any flare-ups but we always have some," Tweten said.
Not only can the days be long, but the job keeps her busy too busy to even grab fair food some days. Seeing all the fair-goers makes it worthwhile, though.
"That's been huge fun. You get to see people you haven't seen in years," she said.
Billy Luetzen gets to see the joy on children's faces every day at the fair. He and his girlfriend, Jazmine Wolff, supervise Kids Clubhouse.
"Sometimes it gets crazy in here," he said. "There's been as many as 50 little kids and their parents."
It may be loud but it's also air-conditioned.
"I am not an activity coordinator. They do it 10 times better than I could," Luetzen said of the kids who amaze him with their ingenious play. He recalls a group of children who turned the toy riding cars into postal vehicles and delivered blocks to the mailboxes of the playhouses.
Rather than coordinating kids, Luetzen finds himself spending much of his time giving directions to other fair attractions or picking up alphabet magnets around the magnetic boards in the play station. The hardest part of his job is enforcing clubhouse rules that require him to turn away children older than 10 or kids who come without bringing adult supervision.
"I have to say, 'Sorry, guys.' It's kind of heart-breaking," he said.
Not all summer fair workers are local.
Matt Edmond of Eagan, Minn., was called in to help at the food booths of Dave Westrum of Minnesota. He said he's worked for Westrum as needed for three summers, and this is his first trip to the fair in Minot. A high school student, he said fairs look a lot the same from behind the counter.
His co-worker Mihail Jelezcov agreed, although he has enjoyed aspects of the North Dakota fair on his breaks, such as quesadillas. Jelezcov, a college student from Bulgaria, is among several Europeans working for Westrum for the summer.
"It's good money," said Jelezcov, who added he doesn't mind the work or the travel, which lets him see a good part of the U.S. Midwest. This is his second year on the fair circuit.
Flip Armstrong, who owns Tubby's, said he hires a lot of repeat employees every summer. Most employees want the jobs because they get to see all the people at the fair.
"It's a big social gathering," he said.
The job isn't for everyone, though.
"We have people who come in for a day and don't stay," Armstrong said. "The heat is probably one of the bigger things that gets them and being on their feet. Pavement for 15 hours can get to a person."
Lee agrees that the heat is the toughest aspect of the job. Finding an excuse to check what's in the cooler helps.
Natasha Bachmeier, a teacher from Glenburn, puts in 8 a.m. to midnight days at Armstrong's burger shack. That can take a toll after nine days.
"I felt it after about the fourth hour," Bachmeier said. "It's hard work."
All the long hours spent working at the fair don't deter workers from enjoying the fair after hours or on breaks. Whether it's taking in a concert, sampling the cheese curds or just walking the fairway, employees are never too work-weary to experience the fair as guests.
