Mall tries to retain Ag Days
The group responsible for this year’s Washington County Ag Days has canceled the exhibition, but the mall where it was scheduled to be held says it is trying to stage it itself.
The Ag Days Committee, an eight-member group that was responsible for planning the 2017 event, recently posted on its Facebook page that it was canceling this year’s exhibition originally scheduled for March 10-11 at Washington Crown Center, for a variety of reasons.
The post, which went up Friday, said the sale of the mall, which occurred in mid-August, raised questions about certain aspects of putting on the event.
“This cancellation is due to many circumstances including, but not limited to, newly imposed fees by the mall, inability to have animals at the event to thoroughly educate the public about agriculture and reduced time frame to plan the event and obtain funding due to the sale of the mall,” the Facebook post states.
Civil Knox, manager of the mall, which has hosted Ag Days for the past 20 years, said the venue has never charged a fee for Ag Days, and had no restrictions on the group bringing livestock to the event.
“The mall was in no way responsible for them canceling the event,” Knox said. “I was very disappointed with the way the Facebook post was worded.”
Judy Iams, a member of the committee, acknowledged that the post, which she said was written by a professional, could be viewed as putting the mall in a negative light.
“The committee’s not blaming the mall. It doesn’t want any hard feelings with the mall,” Iams said Tuesday, explaining that in the aftermath of closing of the sale, it was unknown for some time whether the committee would be charged a fee for the event.
According to Iams, who spoke for committee members, the annual event costs about $8,000 to stage, with all of the money coming from donations.
“It is 100 percent sponsored and all-volunteer,” she said.
As the committee waited in December for a response about its questions over fees, Iams said it was running out of time to request funding from some of its usual donors – agricultural equipment dealers, energy companies and others.
“If you don’t get to sponsors early enough,” they commit their donations elsewhere, she said, adding that as of the end of the year, only the Washington County Soil Conservation District had committed to providing funds.
Iams said when Knox got back to the committee informing it the fee was being waived, she said the mall was seeking a donation in its place.
Knox acknowledged the suggestion of a donation was made “if it was possible. I told them it would look good for them and to the mall’s new owner.”
Iams also said that unlike in past years, because of state health regulations, the mall asked that the committee clean up the area where the livestock was kept, adding that in past years, the mall’s maintenance staff cleaned the area.
She acknowledged Ag Days has changed over the years, noting that in addition to its antique tractor displays and modern farm equipment, it was once filled with people demonstrating basket weaving, wool spinning and how to make corn husk dolls. Now, only a man who canes chairs returns each year.
“People just aren’t passing these things on,” she said.
But the event continued to showcase work by various 4-H and Future Farmers of America groups in the county, with a main goal of educating the public about the workings of agriculture.
The event still claims 50 vendors and 70 stalls, Iams said, adding the committee still wants to emphasize the educational aspects of the exhibits, not just entertainment.
Iams said the committee met for nearly three hours Jan. 11 before deciding to cancel this year’s event.
Knox said Wednesday the mall is attempting to stage the event on the originally scheduled dates.
“We’re trying our best to keep the event,” she said. “We are working diligently to see that this event still takes place.”
Asked if the committee is looking to resume Ag Days next year, Iams said, “We don’t know, we haven’t stepped there yet.”