Community takes up quest to help Minnesota Renaissance Fest vendors who lost booths to fire
A suspected lightning strike is being blamed for a fire that damaged several booths at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, though the exact cause has not yet been confirmed.
The fire broke out just before 4:45 p.m. Thursday, damaging multiple vendor structures, including the long-standing Foaming Stein Pub. First responders from several counties arrived quickly to contain the blaze.
"They trained me at Foaming Stein," said Bryan Foster, chairman of the festival's beer sales and member of JCI Shakopee. "The biggest thing they teach you there is to still enjoy what you're doing. We get more out of that than we can sometimes out of our own daily jobs."
JCI Shakopee, a civic leadership group that has supported the Renaissance Festival for more than 50 years, says the loss has been deeply emotional.
"It's been really heartbreaking just seeing how it impacts us," said Ivy Anker, of JCI Shakopee. "We've been out there with Mid-America Festivals for 52 years this year. So it has been really hard, especially being one of the oldest pubs that we've had."
While Mid-America Festivals is expected to handle insurance matters for its own booths, JCI members are looking into a fundraiser to support independent crafters and small vendors who were also affected.
"We've had hundreds of people calling in, past JCs, past festies, patrons even, that are being like, 'How can I support these businesses and people that are affected?'" Anker said. "Whether it be time, money, resources, anything's possible."
Despite the damage, Foster says the group is determined to rebuild.
"We're gonna keep that same spirit that Foaming Stein had," he said. "We might not have the answer right away, but we're going to make sure the same love and appreciation is still gonna be there."
