The Freeborn County Fair will finish up today. The rides will stop, the vendors will go home, and county residents will go back to foods that don’t come on sticks.

But back at the fairgrounds, an annual workweek is ending.

Rudy Adams, a disabled veteran from Albert Lea, has worked the parking lots at the fair for the past &uot;20-some years.&uot;

He’s one of almost 100 local employees the fair hires annually.

&uot;I like the fact that I can organize something this big and be successful at it,&uot; Adams said.

Adams directs cars into the lot on the West entrance on Richway Drive. Though the lot is just a grassy field, he keeps it looking as if it has yellow parking stall stripes.

His tenure at the fair has been dotted with strange occurrences.

&uot;Back in the 70s I got to help out fighting a fire,&uot; Adams said. His position is hired by the Sheriff’s department. &uot;They needed volunteers to help put out a fire at a lumber company.&uot;

He helps the elderly walk to their car, he finds lost children, he jumps starts and unlocks cars.

&uot;Some people try to tip me,&uot; he said. &uot;Last year a woman gave me a whole pie for helping her out.&uot;

He’s even chased down a bull that got loose from a 4H exhibit.

Adams loves his job.

&uot;You meet and talk to all kinds of people,&uot; he said. &uot;There’s always something interesting. But, mostly, I just like helping people.&uot;

Adams has a choice to work at the fair. Some others don’t.

Two teenage boys, 14 and 16, were blowing trash in the grandstand with leaf blowers early Thursday morning. They were both doing community service work as part of the sentenced to serve program.

&uot;It’s not too bad,&uot; the 16-year old said. He’s serving 24 hours of community service for his third time being caught smoking cigarettes.

&uot;We usually clean up the city arena or chop wood at the state park or something,&uot; he said. &uot;At least we get to be at the fair.&uot;

Juveniles in the program cleaned up the grandstand Thursday and will again on Monday. The adults in the program cleaned it up on Wednesday, and Friday through today.

&uot;They do this every year,&uot; Janelle Van Engelenburg, the crew leader and supervisor for the program, said. &uot;We help to get things ready before the fair as well. They don’t mind it as much as some of the other things they have to do.&uot;

Norm Fredin, the fair secretary and manager, said that the fair wouldn’t run without the behind the scenes help.

Fredin said that about 75 percent of his workers are regulars: those who return to work at the fair every year.

He said that most do it because they enjoy the atmosphere.

&uot;Nobody is doing this for the pay,&uot; he said.

For Karol Hansen, a ticket taker, her job has some nostalgia.

&uot;I get to see so many people I know,&uot; she said. &uot;I was a 4Her and so I see a lot of the people I grew up going to the fair with each summer. Now their kids are entering the events.&uot;

She said growing up as a 4Her, the fair meant everything.

&uot;It’s the highlight of the summer,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s what you’ve been working for all year long.&uot;

But the job it isn’t just about returning to the fair and memories. Hansen said it’s also the environment she enjoys.

&uot;You get a nice tan, it might get a little hot, but it’s still fun,&uot; she said. &uot;I’ll do this as long as they keep hiring me back.&uot;

(Contact Peter Cox at peter.cox @albertleatribune.com or 379-3439.)