Mason City, IA- Wednesday was opening night for the North Iowa Fair. Crowds at the event have dropped off in recent years.
This year a scheduling conflict means there is no rides at the fairgrounds $30,000 in 2006. The management firm says last year the five day event lost a little more than $15,000.
The study was conducted last year and the entire report is about two inches thick. It covers everything from the fair's finances to management. The report is a call for improvement in the way the fair and its grounds are run.
Folks are flocking to North Iowa's annual get together. But turnout has continued to drop over the past several years.
“The challenge for a fair like the North Iowa fair it's change from what it's been in past years,” said Dennis Higgins.
Higgins is the Fair Board’s Vice President; he says trying to compete in North Iowa is getting tougher every year. A study done on the five day event cites a lack of organization as the cause of the fairs struggles.
"We want to bring in the excitement of a musical act as we've done in the past, but sometimes it comes down to, does it pay off?" Higgins said.
The fairgrounds management says in recent years overlapping events in Mason City and Clear Lake have started to eat away at their numbers.
"Those things do compete with things at the fair, and they like us, at least the rib bash is not able to change their dates," said North Iowa Fair Manager Katy Elson.
The study doesn't just cover the county fair, it critiques other attractions like racing and sports shows held at the grounds. The staff says the report isn't all new information, it only confirmed improvements they new they needed to make.
"We have done things like purchase the sports show which was already going, and that has been a good thing for us and we tried some things that have been moderately successful and have not been able to reschedule for some reason," Elson said.
Even though the study points out other serious flaws in the operation of the facilities, the board says the consulting firm has a slight conflict of interest.
"One of the recommendations has the fair be managed by a property management company and the report was being done by a property management company," Higgins said.
One of the management firm's recommendations is to sell off fair property along highway 122 to raise money for improvements to the grounds. Board members say it is not a new idea.
Another recommendation is that the fairgrounds should try to attract more horse shows throughout the year.
In the interest of full disclosure, we must tell you Dennis Higgins is an employee of KIMT News 3.
This week the fair is featuring a variety of inflatable attractions for the kids, an extreme slingshot, and carriage rides.
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