Iowa State Fair leader preparing for his second year

DES MOINES — Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons is preparing for his second event after taking over the top job last year.

“You know last year when I came in I really got to take advantage of the great staff and the fact that my predecessor Gary Slater had a lot of those details in place when I arrived in March and and this year it’s kind of been I guess my own leadership getting those details in place,” Parsons says. He says they have been planning and working through the winter to prep for the August event.

“I think this year at the fair you’re just going to see an increased focus on the fair goer, what are some things we can do to make the fair goer experience better,” he says. “And so that’s going to be the driving force behind a lot of our things that we’re planning for this year.”

Parsons says you’ll notice new things across the fairgrounds when the gates open this year.  “A new shower house up in the campgrounds for our great camping community, you’re gonna see a lot more seating at this year’s fair in terms of picnic tables places to sit down benches shaded areas,” Parsons says, “so be looking for those around the fairgrounds as well and just a lot of other improvements.”

This year’s Iowa State Fair runs from August 8th through the 18th.