For the second-straight year, the Nebraska State Fair has entered its fair with $1 million in capital expenses to work with, which is a far cry from what fair organizers could claim just a few years ago.
“I think of when I first came on this board a number of years ago – we just wanted to make sure we could pay all the staff and get to the next fair,” State Fair Board Member Dawn Caldwell said. “Now, here we are – able to invest a million dollars a year into improvements and betterment for the competitors, for the guests, for the staff and for everybody involved.”
The money has been put to good use over the past two years, helping the fair purchase anything from water bottle stations and misting fans to new large video monitors and a new sound system for the fairgrounds. While the fair staff and board have the ultimate say in what happens on the grounds, the decision-making process also leaned on public input.
