State announces grant program to help fairs

The state of Iowa is offering financial assistance to county fairs that lost money this year.

Gov. Kim Reynolds announced last week that the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) will launch a new Iowa County Fairs Relief Program.

The program will provide short-term relief to eligible county and district fairs 'for the purpose of continuing or resuming operations in the context of the public health emergency.”

'Every single year, Iowans who attend their local county fair get to see, taste and experience the positive impact Iowa agriculture has on our communities,” Reynolds said. 'The economic and social impact is immeasurable and it's critical they have our support to continue operations in preparation for next year.”

The state has allocated up to $6 million of federal CARES Act funds for the grant program.

There are three funding levels – $25,000, $50,000 and $75,000.

Award amounts will be determined based on demonstrated revenue loss for the period of Oct. 1, 2019, through Sept. 30, 2020, as compared with the corresponding period for the previous year.

'We're still looking at our numbers and seeing where we stand for 2020,” Washington County Fair Board President John Wagner said. 'We'll apply if it's available, and we think we have a good chance of getting it.”

Fair officials from around the state took part in an online meeting about the grant program last Thursday night.

'We don't know which direction we will go,” Wagner said. 'We're talking about it, thinking about it and looking at it.”

Henry County Fair Board President Andrea Wright said that her board is still going over all the information and will make a decision on applying for a grant soon.

'At this point, we've not moved forward,” Wright said. 'We are planning a meeting later this week to discuss it.”

A fair must have been a member of the Association of Iowa Fairs since at least March 17 in order to be eligible for a grant.

The fair must have been held after March 17 but was subject to limitations and restrictions in the governor's March 9 emergency proclamation or had been scheduled and canceled after March 17.

The application deadline is Nov. 16.