WCCO.COM At The State Fair
Sep 5, 2009 6:42 pm US/Central
Smoking Allowed At The Fair, With Some Exceptions
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (WCCO) ―
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At the Minnesota State Fair, there is plenty of room to smoke, as long as smokers follow a few rules. (File)
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Citizens have seen a lot of changes in smoking policy around Minnesota, and some county fairs have even gone smoke-free. But at the "Great Minnesota Get Together," smoking is allowed with some restrictions.
At the Minnesota State Fair, there is plenty of room to smoke, as long as smokers follow a few rules.
"The fair is outdoors, so it's just like any other city street where you can walk down the street and smoke. But we do have a policy in our buildings there is no smoking allowed and that policy has been in effect for over 30 years," said Brienna Schuette, Marketing and Communications Manager for the Minnesota State Fair.
In addition, people can't smoke in the seating areas for outdoor entertainment, though there is a designated area in the back of the Grandstands. The same state law preventing smoking at indoor bars and restaurants applies there as well.
"It wouldn't really matter to me one way or another. People are going to do what they're going to do. I don't want to be one to dictate for somebody else," said Dan Melton, a smoker who's trying to quit.
But others see it differently. Dave Manninen enjoys the smoke-free restaurants around Minnesota and would like to see the policy expanded at the fair.
"I say the whole fair should be smoke free. I see all the cigarette butts they throw. They don't care. It's a dirty thing and it's affecting all of our health," he added.
The number of smokers in Minnesota is at an all-time low and smoking restrictions may be a big part of that.
"Having the bars and restaurants smoke-free really helps people from relapsing if they are trying to quit," explained Marietta Dreher of ClearWay Minnesota, which runs the QUITPLAN program.
There are still more than 600,000 smokers in Minnesota, which is why QUITPLAN is at the fair connecting smokers with free help to kick the habit. It worked for Sonja Rhody.
"I tried many, many times, too many to count. The plan is the only thing that worked," she said.
Anyone interested in learning more about QUITPLAN can visit their booth outside the University of Minnesota building.
There's also an extra incentive for people who quit through the month of October. They could be eligible to win $5,000 dollars. The funds for QUITPLAN, come from the state's tobacco settlement money.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Sept. 7: Day 12 At The Fair
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