Morgan County Fair Board discusses moving future fair dates
"We have to take one year at a time."
That was what Morgan County Fair Board President Terry Brock told the board during its meeting Tuesday, Sept. 13.
Related:Morgan County Fair moves to early July in 2023.
Due to various changes that have impacted the local fair, board members decided to move future fair dates to early July.
In August, fair directors announced one of the factors in moving fair dates was due to the Indiana State Fair extending its length.
In an Aug. 11 letter to the community, posted on the fair's Facebook page, the board noted that many of the livestock shows for this year's Morgan County Fair had to occur before the actual fair so that 4-Hers could also participate in the Indiana State Fair.
"This created a lot of hardship for many organizations, and it became evident that adjusting the Morgan County Fair dates was the only option to ensure a positive fair experience for all involved," the board noted in the letter.
For 2023, the fair will run for nine days, beginning Friday, July 7 and ending Saturday, July 15.
The fair's carnival, Poor Jack Amusements, will be in operation from July 7 to July 14.
Board members approved extending the fair one day, into Saturday, so the fair could have the second night of the demo derby and other events that normally end the fair.
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The dates for 2024 and 2025 have also been set.
Currently the 2024 fair will run from July 8 to the July 13 and the 2025 fair will run from July 7 to July 12.
Brock said all events will have to be rescheduled, and he appointed a committee of 4-H and fair board members to work on scheduling the animal contests.
He also has people looking at scheduling grandstand and other events during the fair.
Financial report
The fair's financial year ends on Oct. 31 and begins on Nov. 1.
The year's financial report will be given at the November meeting which, due to the election, will be held on Nov. 15.
Preliminary financial reports show that income from some events were down from the 2021 fair.
Part of the problem was the fair lost one night of events in the grandstand as the circus was canceled due to bad weather.
The income from the carnival was down by about $5,000 from last year.
Other business
The fair will hold its fall demo derby on Saturday Oct. 1.
Morgan County Commissioner Don Adams told board members the county's plans to build an office for several county agencies on the property next to Morgan Street has been canceled.
More:Plan commission offers favorable recommendation for Monrovia-area development.
He said the project was budgeted at about $1.9 million and the bids came in at around $4 million.
The next scheduled meeting of the Morgan County Fair Board is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at the Morgan County Fairgrounds, 1749 Hospital Dr., Martinsville.
Reporter-Times editor Lance Gideon contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Morgan County Fair Board discusses moving future fair dates
