Ramsey County Fair won't go on for fourth year in a row
MAPLEWOOD, Minn. -- The Ramsey County Fair is canceled after a dispute between one of the organizers and county commissioners.
The Agricultural Society of Ramsey County announced the cancelation on the county fair's website.
"After working on an agreement with Ramsey County for more than three years, we can not operate a fair under the conditions and demands from Ramsey County Commissioners," the Agricultural Society wrote.
It says Ramsey County had offered the property in Maplewood to the Agricultural Society to use in exchange for its White Bear Lake fairgrounds but has now reversed the arrangement with "impossible demands."
"The announcement came after multiple years of discussions between the Agricultural Board and Ramsey County leadership and staff about statutory requirements and other logistical arrangements," a press release from Ramsey County leadership said.
According to Ramsey County, it began reviewing its internal policies and procedures and found that event services provided to the Agricultural Society were not being provided to other organizations.
"These services included staff time to assist with set-up and teardown, recycling/trash, and the utility cost for the Ramsey County Fair to operate on county-owned grounds which was estimated to cost approximately $25,000 in 2023," the county said.
The county says it wanted to create a policy so that the Agricultural Society's standard practices would be in alignment with those applied to other organizations working with Ramsey County to put on the fair.
The Agricultural Society says it is considering options for the future possibly under a new name and at a new location, or merging with another county fair.
The Ramsey County Fair began over 100 years ago in 1913. The last time the fair was held was in 2019.