Clay County Fair announces Grandstand changes

Citing the need to provide a safer and more relevant Grandstand concert and event experience, the Clay County Fair has announced several changes for the 2019 Fair, September 7-15.

“The Fair is known for its long tradition of bringing big-name entertainment to Spencer each September,” said Fair Manager Jeremy Parsons.  “While our goal is to maintain and build on that tradition, the rapidly changing world means that we must make changes to stay relevant to today’s Grandstand concert and event attendees.”

Bag checks will be implemented at all Grandstand events at the 2019 Fair, as well as some public events held throughout the year at the Clay County Regional Events Center.

“One of our top priorities is to keep our guests safe, and in today’s world that means security measures like bag checks,” said Parsons.  “The Grandstand is a large venue, which makes it a potential large target, and we want to take preventative steps to keep people safe.”

Parsons said that the bag checks, which will be conducted upon entrance into the Fair’s Grandstand, will be similar to the checks implemented at other concert venues and stadiums.

“We wanted to get the word out now so that as people plan their Grandstand ticket purchases and visits to the Fair, they can plan accordingly for the bag checks – allowing for extra time and making sure they do not carry in any prohibited items like alcohol,” he said.

The Fair will also begin selling beer at selected Grandstand events at the 2019 Fair.

“In today’s changing world, beer sales at concerts and events is part of the normal social experience,” said Parsons.  “Although the Fair has a long tradition of being ‘dry,’ if we want the Grandstand to remain relevant as an entertainment venue, we must change some of our practices.”

While beer will be sold at selected Grandstand events, the Fair’s family friendly atmosphere will remain the same, according to Parsons.

“Beer will only be sold during selected Grandstand events and cannot be carried out of the Grandstand,” he said.  “It will be completely contained in the Grandstand area.”

The first announcement for the 2019 Clay County Fair Grandstand schedule will be made next week with the entire line-up released through the spring.

“These changes, along with some tweaks to our Grandstand schedule, will make for an exciting 2019 at the Fair,” he said.