Fair Attendance Passes 100,000 Visitors
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Fair, known as the best five days of the summer, is now over. Good weather and a variety of entertainment are being credited by fair officials for the good attendance levels. Rich Benson, vice president of the Plymouth County Fair, talks about the fair’s success.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/July 2014/Benson fair1.mp3{/audio}
Benson says fair board directors heard several good comments regarding this year’s fair.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/July 2014/Benson fair2.mp3{/audio}
The Plymouth County Fair Vice President says plans for next year’s fair have already started.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/July 2014/Benson fair3.mp3{/audio}
Fair Auction Raises $25,525
(Le Mars) — The annual fair auction did not set any records, but never-the-less was able to raise $25,575 through the sale of belt buckles, toy trucks, a quilt, and chainsaw wood carvings produced by AJ Lutter and his associates. The quilt made by Geri Dreckman brought for $4600 and was purchased by Greg and Pam Wells. Some of the other top selling items included a wolf head chainsaw sculpture sold for $2600, a standing bear sold for $2500, and an eagle with the Case tractor company logo sold for $3500.
Chainsaw Artist Given Fair Hall Of Fame Award
(Le Mars) — Chainsaw artist A.J. Lutter was honored by the Plymouth County Fair as this year’s recipient of the Plymouth County Fair Hall of Fame. Lutter has been a featured attraction at the Plymouth County Fair for the past 25 years, producing numerous chainsaw sculpture pieces that have been sold at the annual auction, raising several hundred thousand dollars for the fair. Fair president Tony Schroeder made the presentation.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/July 2014/fair hall of fame.mp3{/audio}
Cherokee Prepares For Plant Shutdown
CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) – The town of Cherokee is preparing to deal with the loss of 450 jobs this fall when the Tyson Foods plant in Cherokee closes, and business owners are worrying about what it will mean.
The Tyson plant is the second-largest employer in Cherokee.
Cherokee Mayor Mark Murphy says he was surprised by Friday’s announcement of the plant closing, and the city will try to help plant workers find other jobs in the area.
Linda McClaren says she knows her American Theater will be affected because going to the movies is something people do when they have extra money to spend.
Ankeny Looks To Profit From New Census
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) – Ankeny expects to profit from paying about $865,000 for a special census
The Des Moines Register says (https://dmreg.co/UwKPjf ) the special count this year is expected to show Ankeny has grown to at least 53,000 residents, well beyond its official 2010 count of nearly 45,600. City Manager David Jones says the higher population can translate to an extra $3 million to $4 million a year in road use tax revenue each year until the 2020 census is conducted.
Federal law lets cities and counties request a special census once every decade. The U.S. Census Bureau says 28 Iowa cities have made such a request in the past decade. Ankeny did so in 1975, 1985, 1994, 2005 and now 2014.
The road use tax fund is money from a tax on fuel.
—
