Landmark moments at annual Ag. Society meeting

Once a year, the Steele County Agricultural Society calls a meeting of the whole to evaluate the latest county fair and look to the year ahead.
The annual report on the county fair showed that, while attendance was down from previous years due to rain on every day of the fair, there was still a net profit of $34,520.78 after subtracting expenses and major improvement costs.
The dates for next year’s fair will be Aug. 15 to Aug. 20.
The society also elected the five board positions that were up for reelection. Incumbents Bruce Busho, Gene Fisher, Jim Linder, and Scott Kozelka all retained their seats on the board, while Wayne Steele was elected to the open position.
Steele was born near Hope, MN and has lived in Owatonna most of his life.
“I always loved the fair. I grew up two blocks away,” Wayne said, “It’s always been a big part of my life.”
Richard Reinhardt was awarded lifetime membership for his 58 years of service on the board. He was given a special jacket and gold card to note the occasion.
The board also asked its members to remember that in 2018, the county fair will celebrate its 100th anniversary and to consider what special ways they might like to mark the occasion.
Immediately after the annual meeting concluded, the board of directors convened for a monthly meeting.
They elected their officers, and all of the current leaders were unanimously re-elected to their seats. Dan Deml will once again serve as president, Bruce Busho as vice-president, Tim Arlt as treasurer, and Jim Gleeson as secretary.
The board discussed altering the grandstand entertainment schedule for the fair. They thought five hours was too long for the demo derby.
Rain led to canceling three of the grandstand shows, which has never happened before in fair history, and the board thought they should have a better contingency in place for that. This led to a debate over insurance in case of rain.
With water on the mind, the board also discussed the repairs needed after recent floods. The mothers’ rest basement had been cleaned and the furnace repaired, so everything is back on track.
The board has several projects and alterations in mind for next year’s fair.
A decompression zone, a picnic area for families and kids to sit and play, was proposed, so that families could take a break during their day at the fair and recharge away from all the noise.
The paddock building may be restored to give it a more historic look. The sheriff’s posse may help split costs, and the board will continue to look into it once they’ve talked to the posse.
Weekly parking passes to the general public will be discontinued. Only daily parking passes will now be sold in an effort to reduce confusion over parking.

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The Four Season Center may close one hour earlier on Tuesday through Thursday nights. The board will decide next month once they’ve had time to assess how that will affect the rest of the fair.