Dunn County fairboard hears Fish and Game on beer-sales revenue, vendor rules and parking changes

Kellen from Fish and Game told the Dunn County Fair Board the group has managed beer sales at the county fair since 2019 and that sales have varied widely by year, citing totals such as “Last year, the sales was 12,000” and “’22 … $21,791.” He said the arrangement splits profits with the fair board and that paying the fair board quickly after sales improved operations compared with earlier multi-month delays.

The board pressed Kellen for more documentation of the group’s community contributions to justify continued allocation of proceeds. Speaker 4 asked for “a list of activities and things” the group does for youth and veterans; Kellen agreed to provide a concise one-line list and an annual sales summary.

Board members and vendor representatives also discussed vendor licensing and exclusivity rules at length. Kellen described a practical constraint: if another vendor already sells a product at the fair, Fish and Game cannot sell that same product, a point board members linked to a water-access issue during the demo derby. Kellen raised a specific problem: when a nearby food stand closes on Sunday during the demo derby, families with small children have limited access to water; he said, “If we can sell water, we most certainly will,” but added that fair vendor rules and vendor licenses complicate that option.

Gate placement, exhibitor parking and signage were another focus. Representatives recommended moving the main collection booth away from the horse barn, installing clearer “exhibitor parking only” signage and creating vehicle passes that allow a car to park while requiring each passenger to hold a wristband or pay admission. Speaker 6 summarized the practical approach: a vehicle pass could admit a car, but “each passenger in that car must have their own pass also.”

The board also discussed modernizing admissions and payments. County IT staff and fair volunteers described earlier difficulties with phone-based ticketing but recommended piloting tap-to-pay or Square card readers for the event. Speaker 1 said the county’s new accounting software offers a credit-card POS option and suggested testing it at a single annual event, and Speaker 9 said mobile payment could reduce line backups if staff run a trial and provide on-site assistance.

The board asked staff to collect concise proposals and supporting details from vendor groups (Lions Club, RaceTrac, Knights of Columbus) and to prepare clearer signage and pass rules before the fair season. The board did not take final votes on vendor contracts or gate-policy changes during the meeting; members directed staff to return proposals, a sales summary from Fish and Game and recommended signage plans at a future meeting.