Full-on Fair

     As of this publication date, we are a week out before the start of the 2021 Great Jones County Fair.

     Everyone is looking forward to a GJCF has they remember it. GJCF organizers were forced to modify the 2020 fair due to the ongoing pandemic at the time. It was structured just to include the 4-H and FFA youth livestock and static exhibits.

     “It feels good to get back,” GJCF General Manager John Harms said of having a normal fair yet again. “People recognize the willingness to jump on board as early as they did and commit themselves to having a fair.”

     Harms said other counties and other fairs actually looked to the GJCF as a leader when it came to deciding whether to host a normal fair this year.

     “We took a stand,” he said. “We were comfortable with what we were seeing and sensing.”

     A decision like this does not come lightly or at the last minute. There are too many moving pieces when it comes to organizing the GJCF, that people had to commit early on.

     Harms admitted, “We drug our feet a long time before the decision got made. But it was done methodically. We looked at the (public health) statistics.”

     He said it helped that Governor Kim Reynolds lifted the gathering restrictions. You can’t have a fair without an assembly of people.

     When the announcement was made that the GJCF would resume as normal, Harms said there was an overwhelmingly positive response.

     With such acts as Kane Brown, Dan + Shay, Zac Brown Band, and For King & Country coming to Monticello in a week’s time, Harms said, sadly, ticket sales are sluggish.

     “We’re selling tickets every day for every show,” she said. “But we’re not selling enough for the amount of money we’re spending on the acts.”

     The GJCF also lives off of ancillary revenue such as gate admission, rides, beer tent, vendors, etc.

     Harms said while there will be plenty of people at the fair next week, the number of tickets sold for the concerts versus the cost of the acts is disproportionate.

     “Our shows are not where they should be,” he said.

     However, the Sunday show, For King & Country, is selling like crazy.

     “That’s our only piece of sunshine,” Harms said.

     For King & Country has performed at the GJCF before. Every other headliner this year is premiering at the fair. Yet, the Sunday show, Harms noted, is outdoing the others.

     “Zac Brown Band was the most sought-after act the last 10 years,” recalled Harms.

     So what might be attributing to the decline in ticket sales?

     “COVID is a culprit,” Harms said.

     He explained that while it might take a business or organization a few years to recoup losses from the pandemic, the entertainment industry is trying to recapture as much as they can as fast as they can, all in a matter of one year.

     “That’s not right,” Harms said. “Agencies are booking everything they can on top of everything else.” Harms said it’s a frustrating time to have a county fair when acts are booking in the same vicinity.

     Aside from COVID, Harms said some people might still be cautious about their discretionary spending.

     “We just hope people come out of the woodwork,” he urged.

     The lack of ticket sales will force the GJCF to re-evaluate how much it spends on entertainment from year to year.

     “We need to adapt to the change and see where we fit in,” said Harms. “We hope to never see a pandemic again.”

     On a positive note, several new attractions will be at this year’s fair, as will some returning such as the Kids Zone. Harms credits his wife, Kathy, with the idea several years ago.

     “On the first day of the first year it opened, we saw nothing but heads inside the Kids Zone,” Harms said. “It was crowded within the first 30 minutes.”

     The Kids Zone addresses people with young kids, gives them something to do that’s free.

     This year there will be a combined craft beer and Iowa wine tent, the “Taste of Tuscany.” Harms said this is a very popular place at the Iowa State Fair, which is where the idea came from.

     “It brings a lot of positive energy,” said Harms. “The distributors are excited to be a part of this opportunity.”

     Last year, due to COVID and restrictions at the fairgrounds, the livestock shows were all livestreamed for at-home viewing. Harms said they are working on a plan to offer that service yet again this year.

     “We hope to get it achieved,” he said.