Linn County Fair Receives 'Blue Ribbon Fair' Award

The Linn County Fair, held in Central City, has been awarded the 2023 ‘Blue Ribbon Fair’ Award by the Board of Directors of the Association of Iowa Fairs. The award was presented to the Fair’s Board of Directors at theAssociation’s 2023 Conference and Annual Meeting, which was held December 8-10, 2023 at the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines, IA. The Linn County Fair was chosen to receive the award from all the Fairs in the Association’s Northeast District.

“One member Fair in each of the Association’s six fair districts in Iowa is presented this award each year.” stated Thomas Barnes, Executive Director of the Association. “The Fair that receives this award must have shown progress in providing service to the youth programs in their community, plus show distinguished service the community in both the Fair and interim events. My wife Sue & I have visited the Linn County Fair several times over the past years and we found it does indeed serve very well the community as outlined in the guidelines of this
award.”

“The Board of Directors of the Association of Iowa Fairs would like to extend to its sincere appreciation to the Linn County Fair Board and their spouses for their commitment to their Fair, and to the fair industry in Iowa.” Barnes added. “We also would like to thank the Linn County 4-H program, area FFA Chapters and all the many other area volunteers that are involved with the Fair. They all combined make the Linn County Fair a ‘Blue Ribbon Fair’.

The Association of Iowa Fairs is the organizational body of the fair industry in Iowa. It has as its members the 105 county fairs of Iowa and the Iowa State Fair, and 136 associate members such as carnivals, entertainment agencies, festivals, chambers, concessionaires, special attractions and suppliers of the industry. Together, the members of the Association work together to promote and strengthen the fair industry in Iowa.

The 2024 officers of the Association Board are President Jon Baltes of Hampton, First Vice President Mary Bolton of Emerson and Second Vice President Mark Troester of Elkader. The immediate Past President is Danny Olson of Red Oak. Thomas and Susan Barnes of Cresco serve as the Association’s Executive Director and Executive Secretary/Treasurer respectively, and are associated with the Mighty Howard County Fair in Cresco. For further information on the Association of Iowa Fairs, visit www.iowafairs.com.