Clay County Fair & Events Center unveils new brand identity at annual meeting
On the heels of its most successful Fair to date, the Clay County Fair & Events Center unveiled a new logo and brand identity at its annual meeting this evening. Celebrating the Fair’s rich history and agricultural roots, the new logo features the Fair’s iconic main gates and the tagline “Rooted In Tradition” for a classic, timeless look.
The new logo will replace all Clay County Fair and Clay County Regional Events Center logos used in the past. The new brand identity tagline “Rooted In Tradition” will be used in addition to the beloved “World’s Greatest County Fair” slogan.
“After the merger of the Clay County Regional Events Center and the Clay County Fairgrounds, we realized a need for a cohesive brand identity solution that would better represent the collective nature of the Fair and the year-round event space that we have in the Clay County Regional Events Center,” said Fair CEO/Manager Jeremy Parsons. “That new identity needed to be timeless to visually carry the Fair and events space forward together for generations to come. We were able to accomplish that by pairing iconic images of the fairgrounds with a tagline that pays homage to our deep agricultural tradition.”
Several other announcements, recognitions, and awards were made as part of the annual meeting.
Fifty employees, representing a combined 490 years of service to the Clay County Fair, received “Fairs of Service” awards. Three individuals, Deb K. Feldman, Richard Hoffman and Linda O’Clair, were honored for 30 years of service.
Representatives from Spencer Community Theatre, Spencer Community Schools, Clay Central-Everly Community Schools, and Sioux Central Community Schools each picked up checks in the amount of $1,168 for their participation in the Fair’s Centennial Birthday Bash on the final night of the Fair, Sept. 17.
According to preliminary information provided by Board Treasurer Dan Skelton, the Fair’s operating expenses were down nearly $200,000 from 2016 due to increased efficiencies in operation as well as a reallocation of the Fair’s entertainment and attractions budget. He also reported that since April of 2016, the Fair has spent $1,000,000 on capital improvements – preparing the Fair for the Centennial as well as the next 100 years of growth.
Nine members were elected to the 27-member Board of Directors for a three-year term – Kathy Anderson, Bob Bendlin, Mike Bryan, Charles Elser, Cindy Kress, Dana Metcalf, VerDon Schmidt, Dave Simington, and Chuck White. Steve Waller was elected to a one-year term, filling the position left open by the resignation of Leon Rodas.
In the Board organizational session held following the annual meeting, Charles Elser was elected as the new chairman, Dave Potratz was elected as vice chairman and Dan Skelton was re-elected as treasurer. Other Executive Committee members elected include VerDon Schmidt, Dave Simington, Dana Metcalf, Bob Bendlin, Gayle Simons, Steve Waller, and Tracy Small. Elser succeeds Dave Simington as Board chairman, who did not seek re-election after serving as chairman since 2005. Long time Executive Committee member David Brugman announced his retirement at the meeting. Brugman has served on the Executive Committee and as horse superintendent since 1994.