Latest news with #ClayCountyFair
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Faster Horses Flood Relief Festival to raise funds for Clay County flood victims
SPENCER, Iowa (KCAU) — An upcoming festival in Clay County is hoping to raise money for flood victims from within the community. The Faster Horses Flood Relief Festival is aiming to raise $2 million for flood victims on June 21. The idea came about during the 2024 Clay County Fair when Eli Alger of The Faster Horses made a promise to return to Clay County for a free concert to help support those who were affected by the devastating flooding that affected 70% of the town of Spencer. Now, Alger has upheld that promise, and it's transformed into this fantastic fundraising event. Under the 'How It All Began' section of The festival will include a benefit concert, hay rack rides, and more fun activities. The benefit concert will feature The Faster Horses as the headliner, as well as Dalles Jacobus, providing a day full of Country sound. Story continues below Top Story: 35th Saturday in the Park Main Stage, Abe Stage headliners announced Lights & Sirens: 4 more students expelled from Sioux City Community School District Sports: Sydney Affolter rejoins Hawkeyes as Graduate Assistant Weather: Get the latest weather forecast here The Flood Relief Festival is hoping to raise the $2 million in order to build ten homes so some of the community members whose homes were lost in the June 2024 flood can return to their lives. The festival's mission is: 'Our goal is to raise $2 million to build 10 homes for Clay County families who lost everything in the 2024 food & have no way to rebuild. These families are the backbone of our community, & by helping them stay, we're keeping Clay County strong.' The festival will be free to attend, but festival organizers are asking that you For more information on how you can donate or sponsor the event, KCAU 9 is a proud sponsor of The Faster Horses Flood Relief Festival. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Roots & Boots Tour joins 2025 Clay County Fair's Grandstand stage
SPENCER, Iowa (KCAU) — The lineup of performers is fully set for a northwest Iowa county fair later this fall. Officials with the Clay County Fair says their Grandstand lineup for this year's event starts with Oliver Anthony on Sept. 6, comedian Jeff Dunham taking the stage the next night, then vocal group Home Free performing on Sept. 8. Those three performances were announced last month. June Jam returning to Sioux City this summer Newly announced is the Roots & Boots Tour, which will perform on Sept. 9. The tour features country musicians Sammy Kershaw, Collin Raye, and Aaron Tippin. After that, dirt events include Bulls & Broncs on Sept. 10, dirt racing on the 11th and 12th, The All Star Monster Trucks on the 13th, and finally, the annual Outlaw Truck & Tractor Pull Series on Sept. 14. Tickets for all of these events and performances will be on sale starting Friday, April 11 at 10 a.m. They can be purchased by visiting the Regional Events Center box office, calling 515-244-2771, . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘I keep coming back': Community, vendors prepare for the upcoming Clay County Fair
Vendors are putting the finishing touches on their booths, rides are getting their final inspections, and the community prepares for day 1 of the 39th annual Clay County Fair. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] 'This is the great fair,' said business owner Daniel Jolley. 'We do about six fairs in Florida and this is probably our favorite.' Jolley is the owner of 'Custom Engraving Ring Booth' based out of Vermont. he's been coming to the Clay County Fair for the last 4 years. We ran into him as he was putting up his banner ahead of tomorrow. What keeps him coming back to this specific Florida fair? 'The energy that's here is a really big deal,' said Jolley. 'They've continued to grow more new people are coming in which means more people can discover your product and It's just fun. This year's theme is 'Meet Me at the Fair.' Making its grand return to the fair since Covid is Exhibition Room 1. There, people can submit their photographs and art for judging. Also new is the Rocking' Rolling Himalayan ride and the fast experience where you can skip the line and save some time. 'I love the fair!' said Guest Services Volunteer Lynn Peaslee. Peaslee has been volunteering here for the last 15 years and says she loves it more and more with each passing year. 'The whole atmosphere,' said Lynn. 'I don't like fair food, but I love the fair, so I keep coming back.' And something that Lynn tells me that's interesting is that there are only 5 paid positions working the fair this year. Everyone else is a volunteer. Although the Clay County Fair is a time for good family fun, Clay County Sheriff Michelle Cook is encouraging fair-goers to stay aware of their surroundings and prepare ahead of time to stay safe. 'We are going to have zero tolerance for any shenanigans,' said Sheriff Cook. The Clay County Fair is traditionally a safe event. However, Sheriff Cook tells me they are expecting almost 200,000 people over the next 11 days to visit the fairgrounds. With that being said, they are not taking any chances. 'We have lots of deputies in uniform that'll be working. The fair has security guards that'll be working and then we will also have undercover personnel monitoring the crowd,' said Sheriff Cook. 'We want people to enjoy the fair, but we're going to keep it very safe.' One thing Sheriff Cook strongly encourages everyone to do before they step foot on the fairgrounds is to download the Safer Watch App on your mobile device. 'Let's say that you see something suspicious at the Fair, or you see somebody suspicious, you can snap a photo and send that right to our team via the Safer Watch app, and that way we know exactly who we're looking for or what we're looking for,' said Sheriff Cook. Another safety concern the Sheriff expressed to me going into this weekend is the heat. Make sure you stay hydrated and enjoy everything the fair has to offer. Fairgrounds open at 2 pm April 3rd. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Gov. Kim Reynolds signs ban on handheld cellphone use while driving
Gov. Kim Reynolds, joined by Iowa families who had lost loved ones in distracted driving crashes, law enforcement officers and others, celebrated after the governor signed a ban on handheld cellphone use while driving into law April 1, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law Wednesday a measure banning drivers from using cellphones behind the wheel outside of hands-free or voice-activated modes. Reynolds was joined by more than 50 people in her office Wednesday, many of whom were related to people who had died because of distracted driving. The governor recognized the names of many of the people who lost their lives due to distracted driving incidents before signing the measure into law. 'I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to their families for being here today and for their tireless advocacy,' Reynolds said. 'I can't imagine how hard it's been to tell and to retell your stories, but your courage will save lives. So, on behalf of all the families across our great state, thank you.' With the bill's signing, the measure, which is an expansion from Iowa's current law banning texting while driving, will go into effect July 1. Law enforcement officers will give warnings for violations from July through the rest of 2025. Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, using handheld personal electronic devices while driving will result in a fine of $100. If the incident results in an injury, the fine is raised to $500, and incidents that cause death will raise the fine to $1,000. The governor said that Iowa has become the 31st state in the country to have a 'hands free' law on the books, and that neighboring states like Minnesota and Illinois have seen major decreases in car crashes since enacting similar laws. 'I'm grateful, because this legislation will save lives,' Reynolds said. 'According to a recent study, a 10% reduction in distracted driving in Iowa will prevent over 1,200 crashes, 700 injuries and six deaths, as well as over $50 million in economic damages.' The measure had received support from Reynolds at the beginning of the session, when she mentioned the proposal in her January Condition of the State address. Part of the governor's push came in part after meeting the family of Roland Taylor of Terril — a victim of a distracted driving crash in 2023. The governor said she signed the measure into law, nearly two years to the day of the crash 'in his memory, and we'd do the same for every Iowan killed due to distracted driving.' Angie Smith, the daughter of Taylor, said she and her family met Reynolds at the Clay County Fair in 2024 and talked to her about her father's death. 'My mom stated to the governor, 'We need to do something about a handsfree bill,' and it caught her attention, and it was very emotional for the governor also,' Smith said. 'So (she) reached out to us and has been pushing and supporting ever since.' Smith said 'there's not a better way that we could have honored dad today,' saying Taylor would have been proud to see the law being signed and save lives. 'When the governor called me personally last week and said … that it was passed, I just broke down in tears,' Smith said. 'And I called mom immediately, so happy to just know that this is going to save someone else's life, hopefully that these families will not have to go through this.' Senate File 22 was an effort that advocates have pushed lawmakers to pass for almost seven years. While in previous sessions the measure failed in the Iowa House, the chamber passed the 2025 bill in a 84-11 vote in late March. Peter Bengtson, the father of Ellen Bengtson, who was killed by a distracted driver while biking in 2020, said that the years of the bill failing to advance felt like a 'kick to the gut,' but that the law being signed Wednesday was a 'good first step' toward preventing distracted driving deaths. He said the law will allow law enforcement officers to start educating and informing people about the dangers of using phones while driving, and is an important start in stopping preventable deaths on Iowa roads. 'This is an experience you don't want to have,' Bengtson said. 'You don't want to be on the side of the situation where you lose a loved one, and I can't imagine you want to be the person behind the wheel who knew that you made a bad choice and you killed other people or maimed them. …This is an epidemic beyond compare for public safety. We need to do something about it, and this legislation gets us closer.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Clay County Fair & Events Center names new CEO/Manager
SPENCER, Iowa (KCAU) — The Clay County Fair Association announced on Monday who the new CEO/Manager of the Clay County Fair & Events Center. Jason Brockshus will serve in that role starting on April 19 and will succeed Jerome Hertel, who took on the CEO/Manager position in February 2023 after Jeremy Parsons was named the CEO/Manager of the Iowa State Fair. The Miracle League of Sioux City holds fundraiser at Marto Brewing Co. Brockshus has been with the Clay County Fair team since 2021 as the Partnerships Director. He has also had leadership roles in organizations within the fair industry such as the Iowa State Dairy Association and the International Association of Fairs and Expositions. 'My goal as I step into this new position is to continue to be a good steward of the Fair,' said Brockshus. 'Agricultural education is at the heart of every Fair, especially ours. I want to continue the traditions that so many people are passionate about while also exploring new and exciting ways to connect future generations to the Clay County Fair.' The 2025 Clay County Fair, also known as 'The World's Greatest County Fair,' takes place from September 6-14 in Spencer, Iowa. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
