WEST ALLIS, Wis. — The folks on Wisconsin State Fairgrounds aren’t the only ones preparing for the fair’s kickoff Thursday.
TMJ4 News spoke with West Allis residents who are looking to also make some extra cash during the festival.
Austin Klein was one of a number of people in his neighborhood bracing for state fair traffic. His yard will be one of many used to park vehicles for those attending the fair.
“It sucks for the kids because they won’t be able to play in the yard or anything like that, because we’re parking 24 vehicles on this property here,” Klein said.
His parking spaces will be highly sought out as neighborhoods around state fair grounds are already lined with no-parking signs.
“This way they have this huge lane to go up, park and get in and out,” said Alice Behnke.
Converting lawn into lot is nothing new to Behnke who, along with her family, have offered parking for more than 30 years.
This year with COVID-19, Behnke said they are accepting cash, but with caution using gloves.
“And the other thing we’re going to do is have hand sanitizer out here. We’ll also have it available for people to use,” she explained.
Parking on site at the fairgrounds is $12 per car and $6 per motorcycle as long as spots are available.
For those who aren’t able to find those on-site parking spots, it’s not just homeowners to look for. Businesses like Alarmtronics across the street are closing shop early to offer up parking.
“It should be filled all day, every day,” said Randy Torgrub, owner of Alarmtronics.
Torgrub said it’ll be nice to have the extra cash on hand. He says directing cars all day can be a lot of work, but it also could lead to meeting new people visiting the area.
