(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Fair’s C-E-O and a key official in the Iowa COUNTY fair circuit say concerts are a growing emphasis to spur fair attendance. Tom Barnes, executive secretary of the Mighty Howard County Fair, is also executive director of the Association of Iowa Fairs.  “There’s a lot of other things at the fair that we want to brag about and push, but we’ve got to get the people there first,” Barnes says, “and that’s what the concerts will do.”

Rodeos and race track events were the bread and butter of county fairs not too many years ago, according to Barnes, but a handful of county fairs started emphasizing concert entertainment about eight years ago and the trend spread. “Fairs were seeing what their neighbors were doing and now we’re seeing a lot of even small county fairs throwing a small-dollar concert,” Barnes says. “It gives the community something else to come to the fair for.” Gary Slater, the General Manager and C-E-O of the Iowa State Fair, says about 10 percent of people who attend the Iowa State Fair go to a show at the Grandstand — but the performances matter to those who do NOT attend a concert.

“That’s the pulse of the Fair,” Slater says. “Whether you attend the Grandstand or not, you like to know what’s going on and you like the Fair to pull those popular entertainers.” The Fair spent a million dollars renovating the Grandstand stage in 2018, to meet artists’ expectations for video screens, lighting and sound systems. “We had to get into that business or else they wouldn’t come to an outdoor state fair venue,” Slater says. “…It’s an expensive thing.”

Every concert-goer has to buy a ticket to enter the fairgrounds and Slater says when expenses and profits are calculated from the Grandstand, they aim to break even. The 2022 Iowa State Fair runs from August 11th through the 21st this year.

Here’s a list of area County Fairs:

• The Adams County Fair concludes its full, 5-day run, on Tuesday
• Audubon, July 13-17
• Shelby County Fair, July 13-18
• Montgomery County Fair, July 19-24
• Adair, July 20-24
• Pottawattamie County Fair, July 20-24
• Cass, July 27-Aug. 2
• Guthrie County Fair, Sept. 1st thru the 5th

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Bryan York of Atlantic was recently selected as the first recipient of the Delores & Gail Nelson Cass County 4-H Scholarship. The scholarship was established to honor the Nelsons’ strong support of the Cass County 4-H program throughout their lives, both as youth members and adult volunteers. The scholarship is for a Cass County 4-H’er who has been active in 4-H and has demonstrated strong leadership skills. The student must be enrolled as an incoming freshman at a four-year college or university in the state of Iowa.

Bryan has been an active member of the Bear Grove Blazers 4-H club for 10 years.

Bryan York

He has participated in fair projects in the areas of Photography, Home Improvement, Visual Arts, Sewing, Food and Nutrition, Gardening, and Woodworking.  He has been active in his club community service projects, served in every office and currently is his club president. At the county level, Bryan is on the Youth Council and the Youth Action Committee. He has also participated in the SOFA and State 4-H conference trips multiple times and has received three project awards while in high school. Bryan will be a freshman computer engineering student at Iowa State University this fall.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County, Friday, said a woman was arrested Thursday at a casino, for Public Intoxication. Authorities say 20-year-old Taylor Adams was arrested at Harrahs Stir Cove, after Deputies were notified by security that a female in the crowd didn’t have a wristband and was possibly underage holding an alcoholic drink. Adams was transported to the Pottawattamie County Jail and later released.

And, Pott. County Deputies arrested 32-year-old Jeffrey Kyle Peters, Thursday, following a traffic stop on Interstate 29 at mile marker 66 (just south of Honey Creek). Peters was charged with Driving While Barred and later released.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams County Fair, “Memories in the Making,” continues its run through Tuesday, in Corning. Here’s what’s on the schedule for today (Sunday, July 10th):

8:00am 5K Color Run (registration at 7:30am)

8:30am Sheep/Goat/Alpaca Show

9:00am Fair Fundraiser Breakfast

9:00am Open Pet Show

12:00pm Fair Parade:

• The Parade starts at Grove Park.
• Head East on 10th Street.
• Turn South on Benton Street.
• Head back East on Ninth Street.
• South on Main Street
• East on Seventh Street *Crosses Hwy 148*
• Proceed on Seventh until it turns into John Street.
• Then head North on John Street and turn into the Adams County Fairgrounds.
  

  Adams County Fair Parade route, 7/10/22

1:00pm Poultry Skillathon

2:00pm Puppet Show

3:00pm Baby Contest (registration at 2:30pm)

3:30pm Family Fair Tours

4:00pm Puppet Show

5:00pm Quilts of Valor

7:00pm Dairyland Donkey Ball

(Dallas County, Iowa) – A collision Friday night on Interstate 80 near Van Meter resulted in a woman from Norwalk (Iowa) being flown to a hospital in Des Moines. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2019 Freightliner semi driven by 26-year-old Devon Clarke, from Kissimmee, FL, was traveling east on I-80 at around 11:20-p.m., at the same time a 2017 Chevy Equinox driven by 25-year-old Madison Stogdill, of Norwalk, was traveling WEST, IN THE EASTBOUND LANE.

The SUV struck a bridge and rolled over before it was struck by the semi. Stogdill was transported by Mercy One Helicopter to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. The crash remains under investigation. Multiple agencies assisted at the scene.

The State Patrol reports also, a collision between two motorcycles in northeast Iowa late Saturday morning, resulted in injuries to one of the motorcycle riders. A 2008 Triumph motorcycle operated by 53-year-old Chad Ernst, of Garber (Iowa), and a 2013 Harley Davidson cycle being operated by 56-year-old Daniel Helle, of Solon, were both southbound on Hilton Road in Clayton County, just north of Highway 3, when one of the cycles struck the other in the rear.

The crash happened at around 11:17-a.m. The Patrol says Chad Ernst was transported by Edgewood Ambulance to the hospital in Manchester.

The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Edgewood Fire, and Edgewood Ambulance.

(Corrects date of 2nd trial) (Atlantic, Iowa) – Jury trials in the case of an Atlantic man charged in connection with a stabbing incident are set to take place July 12th and August 2nd, in Cass County District Court. According to online documents, 30-year-old Anthony Asay faces felony charges of Attempted Murder, Arson in the 1st Degree and Willful Injury causing bodily injury, as well as serious misdemeanor charges of Assault causing bodily injury or mental illness, and Possession of Marijuana/1st offense.

Last Thursday a judge approved a motion by the Defense to have separate jury trials on the charges. A jury trial for Asay on the charges of Attempted Murder, Arson 1^st Degree and Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness will begin Tuesday, July 12. A jury trial for the charges of Willful Injury Causing Bodily Injury, Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness, and Possession of a Controlled Substance will be held August 2^nd.

Anthony Rey Asay (Cass County Jail photo)

Some of the charges (Arson 1^st Degree, Attempted Murder and Assault Causing Bodily Injury or Mental Illness) were filed in connection with residential structure fire at 106 Cedar Street on May 4^th. The following day, Asay was arrested in connection to a stabbing on Cedar Street. As he was being taken into custody at a residence in the 1200 block of Birch Street, in Atlantic, Asay become uncooperative, and resisted Officers.

He was also charged in connection to an incident that took place on April 30th.

(Sioux City, Iowa) – Iowa Democratic Candidate for US Senate, Admiral Michael Franken, will meet with Audubon County residents in Audubon, beginning 6-p.m. Saturday July 16th, at the El Adobe Restaurant on Main Street. The event is a part of the Franken campaign’s 99 County Tour, and will offer local residents an opportunity to hear directly from Franken about why he is running to represent Iowans.

This will also be an opportunity for Franken to hear directly from you about the issues and policies that matter most in rural Iowa.

Retired Vice Admiral/Iowa Senate candidate, Mike Franken.

(Greenfield, Iowa) – Two men from Nebraska were arrested last Tuesday afternoon on drug and theft charges, in Adair. According to the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Police in Adair responded to the Kum & Go in Adair at around 3:20-p.m., for a reported Theft. The Officer viewed in-store surveillance video of the suspects, who were later identified as 56-year-old Jackie E. Richardson, and 47-year-old Lloyd Eugene Scaife, both of Omaha, allegedly stealing bottles of liquor. The store manager said the men drove in a white Tahoe to the Relax Inn Suites, located near the convenience store.

The Adair Police Officer showed employees at the motel pictures of the suspects, who were positively identified. The men were said to have been doing work on the business’ air conditioning. Both suspects were located. Inside their vehicle was a bag of marijuana on the center console. Scaife and Richardson were taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense, and Theft in the 5th Degree. They were each later released on a $1,300 cash or surety (C/S) bond.

On July 3rd, 24-year-old Dennis Blake Eddy, of Orient, was arrested in Orient at around 2:24-a.m. He was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, with a Breath Alcohol Content reading of .114%. Eddy was arrested following an investigation into an accident on S. School Street, in Orient. He was also cited for Failure to Maintain Control, and later released on a $1,000 C/S bond.

And, on July 7th, 30-year-old Shane SIM Black, of Lacona, Iowa, was arrested by an outside agency, on an Adair County felony warrant for Violation of Probation. He was released the following day on a $5,000 c/s bond.