Insurance payments saved this year's Sioux Empire Fair

Rodeo popular as future includes free entrances

Expect more rodeo and free gate entrances at the Sioux Empire Fair next year.

Those are among the lessons learned from this year’s fair in August. But perhaps the biggest lesson: Buy insurance.

Despite losing premier days and concerts due to weather events, the Sioux Empire Fair posted $1.9 million in revenue this year. That added up to almost $275,000 in net profit, the fourth best year for the fair in the last 15 years, said Scott Wick, the president and CEO of the Sioux Empire Fair Association.

Wick gave the lowdown on this year’s fair to the Minnehaha County Commission this week. It wasn’t great. Weather caused the cancelation of two shows, Brothers Osborne on the opening Saturday. On Thursday, Aug. 10, Whiskey Myers got one song in before weather stopped the show.

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