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Bringing the pride back

By Staff | Jul 10, 2009

WANDA KRUSE IS in her first year at the helm as manager of the North Iowa Fair. The theme this year is “It’s a fact. The pride is back.” Among other changes, Kruse has implemented a Pay One Price pass that will get fair goers into 10 events.

MASON CITY – Bringing pride back to the North Iowa Fair is the new campaign slogan of the fair’s new manager, Wanda Kruse, of Rockwell.

Kruse has been learning the duties of the North Iowa Fair manager since being hired earlier this year. In the months of being on the job, Kruse noted that, “the fair manager is a big job. You wear a lot of hats.”

She said the entertainment was selected so the fair could offer “something for everyone.” The fair is scheduled for July 21-26. With only a few days to go, preparations are moving quickly.

The theme for this year’s fair is “It’s a fact. The pride is back.” The phrase appears on literature and advertising promoting the fair. Kruse has been working to rebuild the enthusiasm for the North Iowa Fair since assuming the manager’s reins.

A new feature this year is the Pay One Price pass, for which $25 allows admission to 10 events that will be running during the fair. After July 19, the price will be $35.

The pass, Kruse said, will include admission to entertainers Jamey Johnson, Jason Michael Carroll and Jerrod Niemann. Other events include a rodeo, tractor pull, Motocross, team roping and penning, chuck wagon races, and Shotgun Red and Steve Hall. Passes can be bought at the fair office and an order form is available online at www.northiowfair.org.

Free entertainment at this year’s fair, Kruse noted, includes Wild About Monkeys and the Rain Forest Experience. The beverage garden will feature the White Side Walls; Beatles tribute band Rubber Soul; Jack Knife and the Sharps; Tom Petty tribute band Free Fallin;’ and Chasin’ Mason.

Last year’s fair was the first year for the Kinney-Lindstrom Small Farmer area, a way for children to understand how farms operate and where food comes from. This year the fair has added two buildings – a dairy barn and a start barn. There will be a petting zoo and kids fun area there as well.

She said with business conditions declining it has been challenging getting support from the traditional businesses as in the past. She said she is hoping for a successful campaign for the Pay One Price pass in order to provide additional income for the fair.

The North Iowa Fair will have a free gate and free parking. A new addition to the fairgrounds are 156 electrical outlets for campers, offering 50-, 30-, and 20-amp service in the campground for year-around camping.

The complete calendar of events for this year’s fair plus other events scheduled for the fairgrounds can be seen at northiowafair.org.

About Kruse

Wanda Kruse never suspected that she was being preparing for her post as manager of the North Iowa Fair while living in Hartington, Neb., just south of Yankton, S.D.

Kruse was licensed to sell insurance, operated a flower shop, worked as an emergency medical technician on an ambulance crew, plus she and her husband, Duane, were active in the county fair for 30 years, especially during the 15 years their four children were enrolled in 4-H.

A job change for Duane Kruse required relocating and the Kruses’ moved to Rockwell, in Cerro Gordo County. Over the next several years, the Kruses and all of their grown children, became Rockwell residents.

Contact Clayton Rye by e-mail at crye@wctatel.net.