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Shake-up on Fair Board

Beer Tent Vote Leads to Resignations

By Martha E. Conway

(Brookfield – April 15, 2010) Two women leading the Madison County Fair resigned Thursday night after 21 voting members of the Board of Directors in attendance at the regular meeting voted 11 to 10 in a secret ballot in favor of allowing the Sons of the American Legion to host a beer tent.

“As a business plan, it’s just not a good model, and I’m violently opposed,” said now-former Fair Co-Director Mary Lou Thall Friday morning. “I’ve stepped down. I could not risk the exposure. I’ve removed myself from the board altogether, and so has [now-former Co-Director] Annette [Tanney].”

Both women said they aren’t anti-alcohol but stood firm the Fair wasn’t the place for it. Thall and Tanney also concurred that hosting a beer tent would actually cost the Fair more money in insurance premiums and security to police the operation.

Thall said the Fair lost $21,000 last year and volunteers were working hard to bring vendors and attractions that boost revenue. She said some ideas were to have an educational exhibit for the historic hops growing culture of the past or to recruit restaurant-style vendors who could offer adults alcoholic beverages with dinner and allow parents and children to stay together.

The beer tent would not allow people to leave the area with alcohol, Tanney said, but children wouldn’t be allowed in, either, leaving them to their own devices on the fairgrounds.

“I think the people who advocated so hard for the beer tent remember ‘the good old days’ as a time when mom and dad sat at the beer tent getting loaded and kept giving them money to go on the rides,” Tanney agreed.

And the liability of unsupervised children was only one concern the women raised. Research Thall did on other events serving alcohol showed spikes in drunken-driving incidents and violent episodes.

Thall said some youth groups have charters or bylaws that prevent them from being able to participate in events where alcohol is dispensed.

County Administrator Paul Miller said he had heard of one such organization, and also has heard that the Sons of the American Legion has offered to suspend beer sales for Youth Day.

Miller said certain controls also are expected to be implemented.

Despite the drastic change in leadership for the event, county officials are pledging their continued support.

Madison County Board of Supervisors Vice Chairman Rick Bargabos (R – Smithfield), who raised concerns about Fair financing at recent meetings of the county’s Finance, Ways and Means Committee and full Board of Supervisors, said he is not going to react just yet.

“We’ll have to see what happens with the leadership,” Bargabos said. “It’s too soon to know. I wanted accountability. We’re not going to micromanage the event.”

He said he stands by the county’s commitment of $10,000 toward promotion and attractions, though the distribution of the possible additional $15,000 in matching funds may depend on what progress the county sees.

“After doing the research on insurance and other factors, the liability started weighing on my mind,” Tanney said. “The responsibility on members of the board is incredible, and a lot of people just don’t realize it. There should be a handbook for new board members.”

She said the fact that board members weren’t insured in the course of their duties made the decision for her.

“I don’t feel like putting my livelihood on the line – not that I have a lot, but I work hard for what I do have – for people I’m not 100 percent comfortable with, the group that’s hosting the tent,” Tanney said.

Thall and Tanney both expressed regret at the turn of events.

“We spent so many hours on this with additional tasks like pulling together the information for the county to support our funding request,” Thall said. “It hurts me that it’s come to this. We were really on a roll. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I feel it’s very short-sighted. It’s not good for the Fair.”

Tanney agreed, adding that she and Thall worked very hard with the county, trying to lose the ‘Brookfield Fair’ stigma.

“If the beer tent goes back in, it will be the ‘Brookfield Fair’ again,” Tanney said. “I fear some groups will pull out; this is not a youth-oriented thing.”

Tanney said she felt the Fair gained a lot of ground during the past couple of years.

“Now I feel like we’re losing it,” Tanney said. “I grew up with the fair and put in an ungodly amount of time working on it. I am so upset to see it go in this direction after the struggle to get it where it is now. I don’t want to see it get torn down.”

According to Tanney, compromises were offered, such as trying a beer tent at this year’s Wheel Days, a more appropriately adult event.

“The county is less involved in our other events than they are with the Fair,” Tanney said. “If things went well, we could have looked at it for the Fair next year, which would have given us another year to put down roots from other parts of the county. They didn’t want to work with us. From everything I can see, this is going to mean more cost, more headache and no benefit to the Fair.”

“We won’t interfere with a decision of the Fair board,” said Madison County Board of Supervisors Chairman John M. Becker (R,C,I – Sullivan). “We want to see the Fair do well. That’s why we challenged them to take some creative initiative in the first place.”

Supervisor John Salka (R,C,I – Brookfield) agreed.

“The board made a decision, and we will look to them to handle the issue responsibly,” Salka said, adding that the Fair is an asset to the county and community. “I will continue to work for the remainder of my term to the best of my ability to do whatever serves the best interests of my town and the county.”

Tanney said she is typically a behind-the-scenes sort of person and avoids being in the limelight. She said she told a couple of people that she wouldn’t be able to stay on the board of the beer tent was approved, but she didn’t make any threats or ultimatums. Tanney said she thinks people were surprised when she walked out.

“It was the right thing to do,” Tanney said. “I had to walk out. I had to. I feel bad because I want to see the Fair succeed. This was a bad business decision.”

Martha E. Conway is Managing Editor for the Madison County Courier. She can be reached at 315.813.0124 or by emailing martha@m3pmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/marthaeconway or become a friend on Facebook at facebook.com/meconway.

2 Comments on "Shake-up on Fair Board"

Barbara Howard on Sun, 25th Apr 2010 6:16 pm

I do believe Ms. Tanney and Ms. Thall are over reacting. It is my understanding that the American Legion is taking the responsibility of insurance and security themselves. These ladies tried new ideas last year, and the fair still lost $21,000.00 something is wrong here, that is not good business as I look at it. Sometimes we may not agree with someone else’s idea, but it is only right that we let them try. It was done in a democratic way by voting, and I understand the Legion members have research the idea. The fair has been in bad fiscal shape for many years, it’s time to go out of the box, or maybe back into an old box, and let the legion give it a try, Good Luck, I hope I will not be disappointed yet again this year when I attend the fair.

Mike Bova on Sun, 25th Apr 2010 7:37 pm

The fair needs help. I am offering my services in any way I can as far as marketing, advertising, publicity etc. I encourage other business owners and residents who have some skill sets to offer their assistance too. Let’s make the fair better than it’s ever been!

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Shake-up on Fair Board

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