(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Fair starts in 30 days — on August 8th. Iowa State Fair C-E-O Jeremy Parsons says there’s been a renewed focus on what he calls “creature comforts” for this year’s fairgoers. “Double the amount of handicapped accessible parking spaces — paved spaces. You’re going to see new sidewalks for accessibility. You’re going to see new shade areas, shade structures,” Parson says. “Picnic tables — we had $100,000 line item in our budget this year for picnic tables and benches, so more places for you to sit.”
Some restrooms have been remodeled and there are more water bottle filling stations on the fairgrounds. The price of admission to the State Fair is the same as last year. “Like any business operating in the state of Iowa today inflation has affected us, whether that’s most costs for employees — for salaries, whether that’s more costs for utilities, whatever it might be,” Parsons says, “so we’re very pleased at the Iowa State Fair this year to hold the line on admission.”
Tickets to State Fair Grandstand concerts are generally in the 30-to-60 dollar range. The most expensive seats — 125 dollars each — are for the Motley Crew concert. As of today, the Grandstand concert by rapper Jelly Roll on the first Saturday of the State Fair is sold out. Parsons says the “radius clause” in entertainers’ contracts has made booking acts more competitive.
“If an act has commited at a certain venue you draw a circle geographically so many miles out and that artist can’t perform again in that area,” Parsons says. “You think about this year, the challenge at the Iowa State Fair we’d had George Strait’s concert up in Ames and all of the entertainment out at the Iowa Speedway.”
Parsons made his comments during an appearance this past weekend on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.
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