Linn County Fair Association needing volunteers with return to in-person events

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - After having to cancel last year due to the pandemic, the Linn County Fair will return, in-person, this year, but one thing members of the Linn County Fair Association are concerned about is a lack of volunteers.

The Linn County Fair Association made the decision to return, in-person, in March, with social distancing opportunities and hand sanitizing stations throughout the fairgrounds. The association is fully run by volunteers. It takes about 8,000 volunteer hours in all each year.

Right now, they have a total of 471 volunteer slots for the 2021 fair, with each shift being about 4 hours of volunteering. Out of 471 slots, only 52 are filled from 12 volunteers.

Heidi Steffan, the co-vice president of the fair, said the need is for everything from helping with shuttling to working at grandstand events and the ticket booth.

“This year because we’re kind of in a crunch, we’re really short on all of those. What we’ve learned throughout the different volunteer organizations is a lot of them are still leery on volunteering, or coming out or not really pushing for volunteers, so we are really short on volunteers this year,” Steffan said.

Steffan said they are ready to make needed adjustments if not enough positions get filled. She adds fair association members will also fill some positions on the back end. Right now, they have a big push on social media to get volunteers.

If people do want to help out, they can sign up on the Linn County Fair website. Volunteers who work four or more hours will get a free t-shirt. If someone decides they want to volunteer the day they show up here at the fairgrounds, there will be the opportunity for that as well.

The fair opens Wednesday, June 23rd with a free grandstand event: a drive-in concert. The last day of the fair is June 27.

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