Life On The Road: An Inside Look At Working At The Fair

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) --  As more than 100,000 people enjoy a day off at the fair, 3,000 people are laboring away.

Kyle Clarke, who runs the Techno Power ride, is one of them.

"Labor Day doesn't really mean much to us except that the fair's gonna be busy," Clarke said.

And busy it is.

Clarke works fairs from Florida to Hawaii and says the people here are the nicest, but the hours are meanest.

"This is the only fair that's got hours that hectic. So we bite the bullet for 12 days in Minnesota," Clarke said.

Clarke grew up far from Minnesota -- he was recruited from Capetown, South Africa. He's a seasoned traveler who speaks three languages.

"We are not what everybody thinks. They will come up to you and say, 'Oh, you're a carny.' I'm not a carny. We call ourselves Midway professionals because it takes more than a human being standing here to make sure everything is running smoothly," Clarke said.

He says he enjoys the job, the $13 an hour wage and the free living quarters. He and his girlfriend share a cozy unit, and his peers have set up a gym outside. There's also space for grilling out.

Michael Wood manages the workers who live there.

"They are, number one, hardworking people. They are not the stereotype people think they are. We have families, mortgages, kids, wives, brothers, sisters -- just like everyone else," Wood said.

And they are hard at work on this holiday. They're used to working when everyone else plays -- and they're not complaining.

"There's just something about seeing people -- a little kid smiling on a ride and saying, 'Mommy, I did it.' It's awesome," Wood said.

Kyle and his crew will start packing up, then head to Oklahoma. After that, they're off to Dallas. Life on the road.