The Morrison County Agricultural Society provided the Morrison County Board of Commissioners with an update on the Morrison County Fair at its meeting on Tuesday, April 9. Jeremy Hanfler, president of the Agricultural Society board of directors, gave a presentation along with other board members to share information on improvements made at the fairgrounds over the past year as well as events planned for the upcoming fair season.
Kennard reported that the Agricultural Society celebrated the 30th anniversary of being located at the current fairgrounds site just outside of Little Falls last year. In that time, numerous upgrades and improvements have been made to maintain and expand the facilities. Last year, the Agricultural Society focused on replacing roofs that had been damaged by hail as well as updating the storm shelter and bathroom facilities, adding to the small livestock barn, finishing concrete alleys in the barns and improving the Grandstand pulling track. This year, ventilation and fire suppression systems are being upgraded in the food building to meet insurance requirements and the livestock barn and show arena are receiving fans and electric upgrades, among other improvements.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2024, the Morrison County Fair is scheduled to take place Thursday, June 20 through Saturday, June 22. This is slightly earlier than usual but has become the standard date in recent years due to limitations on available carnival vendors. Last year’s fair saw increased participation despite concerns that the earlier date may deter some exhibitors. Additional animal pens were added and fully utilized, showing strong continued support from 4-H families and the community.
In addition to the annual county fair, the fairgrounds play host to a variety of other community events throughout the year. These include motorcross shows, rodeos, emergency response training exercises and conventions. The American Bikers for Awareness, Training and Education (A.B.A.T.E.) Bike Rally, Tri County Horse Show and Minnesota Prepper Convention, the last of which is a gathering for doomsday preppers, are among the events planned for 2024. The Agricultural Society also provides space for nonprofit groups and allows winter vehicle storage to generate revenue for ongoing improvements.
Commissioners commended the Agricultural Society for its dedication and success in maintaining what they described as one of the finest county fairgrounds facilities in the state. Their efforts bring approximately $73 million in annual economic impact to Morrison County through visitors attending events. Looking ahead, the Agricultural Society will work on a strategic plan to explore possibilities for expanding multi-use of the fairgrounds year-round.
“I had the pleasure over the years of being out at the fair and talking with county commissioners from other counties, who come in marvel at the quality of facilities that we have there, the grounds, but also the immense participation that takes place out there, through the Ag Society, by the public, and certainly the success that that we’ve had with our county fair in a time where many counties struggled to have successful county fairs, especially since that event that we are wanting to forget called COVID,” said Commissioner Greg Blaine. “So I think there’s a lot for us as a Board to be excited about with the Ag Society with their leadership, their foresight, certainly their willingness to look at doing things in new and creative ways to create opportunities for them to achieve goals that they set out that are aggressive, but are realistic. I couldn’t be more proud of this organization, what they’ve accomplished, for their tenacity and their commitment, but most importantly, their ability to give up themselves and their time. Morrison County has a lot to be proud of for this organization and this resource out there.”
Commissioner Randy Winscher echoed Blaine’s opinion, saying that although there was initially pushback to when the fairgrounds were moved to their current location in 1992, the continual efforts to improve both the physical location and the quality of activities that take place there have paid off tremendously.
“I think you’ve got the wind on your back now with all the improvements,” Winscher said. “Everybody’s starting to know what’s going on there. In my opinion, I see nothing but success in the past few years and moving forward.”
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