(Pottawattamie Co) The Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors approved a Letter of Intent of $125,000 to support the Pottawattamie County Fair.
Adam Stamp, Dan Hansen and Steve Meek with the Pottawattamie County Fair Board gave a presentation this morning on the improvements they have made, and improvements that are still needed, at the fairgrounds in Avoca.
Dan Hansen, Head of Fundraising for the fair, said this past year they raised $75,000 from individuals, families and corporate sponsors and that money went almost exclusively back into large capital improvements.
Their other big project was renovating an old maintenance shed that hadn’t been used in many years.
Other projects they were able to accomplish this year included; putting in a new stage, a brand new ADA compliant deck that allows access to the 4-H food stand, and they purchased the first module of a better speaker system for the Grandstands.
Fair Board members noted that their numbers continue to increase at the fair and they are excited about the momentum moving forward.
Adam Stamp is the Fair Board President…
Stamp spoke about their “wish list” of items that need done at the fairgrounds including plumbing and electrical repairs, renovations of the historic hog barn and sale barn, revitalizing the Acova Dance Hall, new cattle barn and show arena attachment, and Grandstand seating. Out of those items, Stamp said the plumbing and electrical repairs are vitally important to keep the fair going next year.
It was noted that at this year’s fair they had over 240 exhibitors, eight queen candidates, 1,500 concert goers, 395 open class entries, an estimated 7,500-plus attendees, $30,000 was donated back to the kids from the community at the premium auction, and they hosted five Food Truck Nights for the community.
The Fair Board will continue their fundraising efforts, as well as look into grant opportunities to continue to make improvements to the fairgrounds.
