The best time of the year. The greatest summertime event. Or, as it?s referred to as this year, the best days ever. No matter what you call it, nothing compares to the Iowa State Fair. At this point, we are less than a month away from the start of the state fair, and there will be one major new face this year: new CEO Jeremy Parsons. Parsons, who most recently was the CEO of the Clay County Fair, said he?s had a fun and winding journey up to this point.
Parsons said that serving as the CEO of the Clay County Fair, which is bigger than several state fairs across the country, has naturally prepared him for his new role.
With how important the state fair is to most Iowans, Parsons said he?s excited to experience the whole thing in his first year.
While the state fair has expanded to include a much greater emphasis on entertainment over the years, Parsons said it all helps to provide funds and bring people in for the promotion of Iowa agriculture.
Of course, being the CEO of the Iowa State Fair isn?t just an eleven-day job. Parsons said he works throughout the year preparing for the current state fair as well as next year?s.
The state fair has seen a lot of renovations and modernizations even over just the past two decades, and Parsons said he?s excited to see how it will continue improve as time goes on.
The entertainment side has seen those expansions and renovations too, of course, and the Grandstand has been the latest target for that.
The first year of a new job can be intimidating, and that?s probably exponentially truer when you?re the CEO of the Iowa State Fair. However, Parsons said he has a simple goal this year: just don?t screw it up.
This year?s Iowa State Fair runs from August 10th– 20th. For more information, visit iowastatefair.org.
