Editorial by Matt Marquardt –
I received word that the North Iowa Events Center as it prefers to be called these days, formerly known as the North Iowa Fair, will be holding a public meeting tonight where anyone can attend and voice concerns and ideas for improving the annual fair held there.
I dialed the fair at 641-423-3811, and spoke to a woman named Jan at about 11:15 AM today.
I told her I had some questions about tonight’s meeting and said nothing else. Before I could introduce myself, she proceeded to tell me quite a lot of information, but said they were still deciding on which building to hold the meeting in. I said I was told it would be in the 4-H Building, she said “yes, or the Olson Building, we are still deciding.”
That’s a wonderful example of organization and building trust with the public, right there. It was published in our friendly Globe Gazette that the meeting would be held in the 4-H Building. But now the fair office is not sure.
Jan said the Globe got a “media release” this weekend on the event. Despite asking for their “media releases,” The North Iowa Event Center never sent one to NIT. Thanks David Green for ignoring my request.
It is nice to see the NI Events Center and the Globe working so hard to bring the public on board and include them in the game of trying to solve the riddle of why our fair sucks every year. Very classy of the Globe to publish the notice of this meeting on the very day it would be held, while the fair office is not even sure where exactly it will be held.
Anyway, as I listened to Jan’s long diatribe on why the fair sucks and how the public sends conflicting signals to the fair board, I asked very few questions and just listened. I never told her my name until I had asked a couple of questions and she asked “who is this?” I said “My name is Matt Marquardt, I run a news website called NorthIowaToday.com.”
Jan then informed me that nothing she said could be published and was not for the public and then hung up on me as I asked more questions. Stay classy, Jan.
To the public, I know this is late in getting to you, maybe on purpose, but the fair board will allow the public to come out to the fair grounds tonight for a public meeting. This meeting will be held at 7 PM in either the 4-H Building or the Olson Building. Bring your ideas and concerns.
…why aren’t the Cerro Gordo Supervisors at these meetings? Time to hold them accountable. This fair works on a dime budget. The board works for free. Yes Mr. Higgins does do sound,but to hire him is NEVER a requirement. He doesn’t draw a dime from the fair grounds.Problem is the age of the ‘board’ members..no zip.4H has held this fair in place..and now it’s dropping off. It’s is trouble.
Jan is rude.
Was she at the meeting last night or did she hide her overly open mouth and stay home?
She continually blasts the fair behind their backs.
She must go. Her attitude must go.
Was the right hire made a GM?
Matt M is right, new ideas are a must or the fair will dry up.
Jay Urdahl won’t go, there’s no freeebies there for him. He is now known as the biggest mooch in the North Iowa area. Even people in Osage talk about it, of all places. He don’t care about the fair one “hoot.”
Had I known about this meeting, I’d have gladly attended.
But I just learned of it from reading NIT.
Does the Fair Board actually WANT outside help and opinions?
If so, I think this meeting would have been promoted a little longer and to ALL the Media.
Keep up the good work Matt!
Oh, curious, were any Council or Supervisor’s in attendance?
Think they should have been if they weren’t.
Was any of the NIT staff at this meeting tonight?
Yes. Stay tuned for video.
Maybe everyone should stop the blame game and get off their rears and get involved. It is much easier to write and put it off on some one or place than to stand up and work as a TEAM to fix it! There is NO I in TEAM!!!! These things that made the Fair great were NOT FREE! Hootenanny is NOT FREE! The solution is NOT replacing the Board members it is getting in there and VOLUNTEERING, Supporting,Contacts,Sponsors. And maybe you should talk to the horse’s mouth and stop being a horse’s ass Matt by Bashing anyone and everyone be part of the solution!Are you at the meeting and are you going to bash and trash it or actually HELP!!!
The reason everyone is bashing the fair is because Jan is RUDE, the board members are board members because of the perks, several members are getting paid to do jobs at the fair grounds (against the law according to 174.2 of the Iowa Code) and corruption. Most of the board members are only their to get the perks. I don’t think there is any chance of saving this venue. Too bad it had a lot of potential.
Yes, you are so very right. Ole crabby Janny is one of the rudest people in the country. Her attitude is foul.
The fair board members do not get perks and they are NOT paid. And per the law they cannot receive pay you are right.
Some better business practices by some personnel would be better. But without those things and better involvement it will be tough to turn around but it will get done and less Bashing and reporting on what good is done would help. A handful of naysayers does not make the whole town aganist it we grew up with the fair and support it!
The truth is that certain fair board members perform work at the NI Fairgrounds and are compensated. You should get with the program and stop spreading falsehoods. It is against Iowa code for fair board members to perform work and be compensated by the fair. Perhaps at the next public meeting I will ask about this and see what the board says.
“BE BRave” — the board is ultimately responsible for the operations and all that goes on at the NI Event Center. Why would someone volunteer to work in a hostile work environment? Jan’s attitude and methods are things that belong in a place called hell.
..OMG ..Hootenanny offers to help. Will rent building,will rent stage, and bring crowds BACK to this event center…and you BLAST them…
please know what your talking about before saying it. sorry Hoot.
I walked in as the meeting was beginning, were you there? I was there from 7 until 8:30.
Why are you posting anonymously? Maybe you helped run the fair into the ground and can’t admit it?
Re: Matt
The fair needs to work closely and quickley with Hootenanny Inc…have they even made contact to them as yet? They are in the Oasis Tan (Main Event) Building on S. Federal.
These people book name acts and have already helped other fairs.
MAKE THAT A SUGGESTION TONIGHT.
Does Mr Green or Mr Higgins even know they exist? From what I’ve heard these Hoot people are awesome.
Was on their web site earlier.Eyes nned to be reopened out at the Fairgrounds.
no one will show up anyway. people avoid that place as it is.
NIT – I really appreciate your alternative approach to North Iowa News and your reporting style. However your constant Globe bashing gets old and frankly diminishes the overall quality of your journalism. You are certainly entitled to your opinion but leave it out of the news stories and if you must, deal with it in some other form or venue. Thanks for your consideration.
Dave, appreciate your kind words and suggestion. I mentioned the Globe Gazette in this story only because they are part of the problem here as I see it. They had information earlier than they published it that would have alerted the public to this meeting and perhaps more folks could have made plans to attend.
Jan is the lowest of life-forms on the planet. Her middle name is vomit.
You are so right on this one. Jan is so rude, that would be the first change they need to do. By the way Jan is Larry’s wife (the guy who managed the place for the last couple of years oh yeah the maintaince guy) and Adam’s mom (the other maintaince guy) hmmmmmm, think she ownes the place???????? Common on folk she needs to go.
First change needs to occur at the board level. Please remove all current board members. Remove them from public sight and keep them from human contact.
Matt, sorry the fair has treated you so rudely. They receive tax payer money, they work for you and I. Do they really want help or input from the public? Seems like the don’t, scheduling a meeting with little or no notice and then the Globe is complicit in hiding the meeting. Maybe it’s time to sell all the land and disband the place.
Maybe a simply contact to Hootenanny would pay dividends…come on fair management. I wonder if they plan on being there tonight,like to meet them.-Ben
Is it time to disband the entire site known as the Event Center?
Allow Hootenanny to handle all affairs pertaining to the main building for a small salary plus their ticket take?
Allow the county to oversee the other venues?
Is it time?
YES.
Yes, that is a great idea. Don’t forget to replace or get rid of the current miserable board.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I stopped into the Hootenanny Inc office ten minutes ago.Yes, 9:20pm on a Friday and they are WORKING.
This is the business mind we need to run the main building and dismember the fair board. I agree with the post above, maybe it’s time.