Linn County Fair Association

What Linn County Fair Association does

The Linn County Fair Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has operated a community fair continuously since 1888 (originally as the Wapsie Valley Fair, renamed in 1937). It is governed by an 18-member elected Fair Board and supported by ~48 associate members, with a small paid staff of 6 (2 office/rentals managers plus volunteer board leadership). The association is headquartered at the Linn County Fairgrounds, 201 Central City Road, Central City, Iowa, and its primary event is a five-day annual county fair held in late June/early July (2026 dates: June 24-28).

The organization's product is fundamentally an event and a venue, not a technology platform. The annual fair combines gate admissions (single day and weekly wristbands), a carnival ride program, ticketed grandstand entertainment (concerts, ECIPA truck & tractor pulls, Bulls & Barrels, Tough Trucks), a vendor marketplace (commercial, youth day, and military day exhibitors), and 4-H/FFA livestock and talent exhibitions delivered in partnership with Iowa State University Extension. Year-round, the association monetizes the same physical asset through fairground and camping facility rentals and winter storage. Ticketing is delivered through a Saffire-powered e-commerce layer on thelinncountyfair.com, with marketing distributed across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Flickr plus an email newsletter.

The business model is diversified across five revenue streams: ticket sales, grandstand event ticketing, partnership/sponsorship tiers (Grandstand & Day, Event, Friend of the Fair), vendor booth rentals, and year-round facility rentals. Attendance has ranged from 28,000 (2021, pandemic-reduced) to 50,000 (2017-2018) with 2023 at ~38,000. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Pricing is published and consumer-friendly: children 0-10 enter free, $11.40 single-day adult gate admission, $22.80 carnival wristband, $6.20 half-price Sunday, and tiered grandstand pricing. The organization has no material proprietary technology, no API, no software product, and operates as a traditional community event-venue business.

Name

Linn County Fair Association

Legal name

The Linn County Fair Association

Website

https://thelinncountyfair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Linn County Fair Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has operated a five-day annual county fair in Central City, Iowa since 1888, serving Linn County families, 4-H/FFA youth, vendors, and corporate partners via ticketed admissions, grandstand events, sponsorships, and year-round fairground rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

County Fair & Event Services

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131), Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (7139), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (71399)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Fairgrounds & Expo Parks (THAHAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Community & Multi-Category Fairs (MPAGAFAO), Amusement Parks (Regional/Local Ride Parks & Funfairs) (THAJAEAD)

Keywords

• County fair operations
• Event venue management
• Livestock exhibitions
• Community event hosting
• Facility rental services

Headquarters

HQ city

Central City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single-day gate admissions, weekly wristbands, and carnival ride wristbands/tickets for fair attendees.
2. Grandstand Events: Revenue from ticketed grandstand events including concerts (Arch Allies, Chase Matthews with Terri Clark), truck & tractor pulls, bulls & barrels, and tough trucks competitions.
3. Partnerships and Sponsorships: Business partnerships including Grandstand & Day Partners, Event Partners, and Friend of the Fair tiers. Partners receive advertising, signage, ticket benefits, and marketing recognition.
4. Vendor Spaces: Revenue from commercial vendors, youth day exhibitors, and military day exhibitors renting booth/exhibit space at the fair.
5. Facility Rentals: Year-round rental of fairgrounds facilities including the grounds, camping, and event spaces for 4-H/FFA rental events and other community events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Linn County Fair Association operates an annual five-day county fair in Central City, Iowa featuring carnival rides, concerts, livestock exhibitions, truck and tractor pulls, and 4-H/FFA youth competitions. The organization also manages year-round fairground facility rentals (buildings, camping, event spaces, winter storage), commercial vendor booth rentals, and tiered business partnership/sponsorship programs. It is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization operating since 1888.

Product overview

The Linn County Fair Association operates a single annual county fair event (not a technology platform or SaaS product) as its primary offering. The organization manages fair admissions (single day and weekly wristbands), carnival rides, grandstand entertainment events (concerts, truck/tractor pulls, Tough Trucks), vendor marketplace, facility rentals, and a volunteer/membership program. The fair features 4-H and FFA youth exhibitions, free parking, and operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1888. The organization does not offer technology products, APIs, or software services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single Day Gate Admission One-day entry ticket to the Linn County Fair valid for a single day during fair week (June 24-28, 2026). Free entry for children ages 0-10. Sold online and at the gate.
• Weekly Gate Admission Wristband Wristband valid for single entry every day of the fair week, providing unlimited daily access throughout the entire fair. Free entry for children ages 0-10.
• Carnival Ride Wristband/Tickets Carnival ride passes priced at $22.80, redeemable for either 22 individual ride tickets or a ride wristband valid on any single day during designated time windows (Wednesday 7pm-9pm, Thursday 2pm-6pm, Friday 3pm-7pm).
• Grandstand Events Ticketed grandstand entertainment events including ECIPA Truck & Tractor Pull, concerts (Arch Allies, Chase Matthews with Terri Clark), Tough Trucks competitions, and Bulls & Barrels. Pit access plus event tickets available at $33.20 (all ages).
• Fairgrounds Rentals Year-round rental of fairground facilities in Central City, Iowa, including buildings, camping sites, event spaces, 4-H/FFA rental event venues, and winter storage options.
• Vendor Program Opportunities for commercial vendors, youth day exhibitors, and military day exhibitors to rent booth/exhibit space at the fair for selling products or services.
• Partnership/Sponsorship Program Tiered business partnership program including Grandstand & Day Partners, Event Partners, and Friend of the Fair levels. Partners receive advertising, signage, ticket benefits, and marketing recognition in exchange for financial support.
• Associate Membership Program Membership tiers including Level 1, Level 2, and College memberships. Requires two years of associate membership before becoming eligible for the Fair Board. Approximately 48 members across tiers.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hills BankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHills Bank sponsors volunteer T-shirts for fair week volunteers. Located at https://www.hillsbank.com/

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mississippi Valley Fair: Annual county fair in Davenport, Iowa featuring livestock shows, carnival rides, concerts, and grandstand events. Closely comparable in scale, nonprofit structure, and event mix to Linn County Fair, and a direct Iowa-based competitor for regional fairgoers and entertainment talent.
• Clay County Fair: Northwest Iowa county fair widely regarded as one of the largest county fairs in the United States. Highly comparable operating model (nonprofit agricultural fair with grandstand events and exhibits) but at significantly larger scale, making it a useful upper-bound benchmark.
• Johnson County Fair (Iowa): Adjacent eastern Iowa county fair serving Johnson County. Comparable in scale and 4-H/FFA integration, and competes with Linn County Fair for some regional attendance, vendors, and entertainment talent within the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids corridor.
• Hawkeye Downs: Cedar Rapids, Iowa multi-purpose event and expo venue that historically hosted a competing Linn County 4-H/FFA fair (1958-1966 per Linn County Fair history). Comparable as a regional Iowa event/expo operator and a historical competitor in the same Linn County market.

Broad incumbents

• Iowa State Fair: The statewide flagship agricultural fair held annually in Des Moines. Comparable as an Iowa-based nonprofit fair association operating livestock exhibitions, grandstand entertainment, and vendor marketplaces, but at a vastly larger scale (over a million attendees) and serving a statewide rather than single-county audience.
• Wisconsin State Fair: Major Midwest state fair held annually in West Allis, Wisconsin. Comparable as a nonprofit fair association running livestock exhibitions, grandstand entertainment, and vendor marketplaces, but at a much larger regional scale.
• Minnesota State Fair: One of the largest state fairs in the U.S., held annually in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Operates an analogous nonprofit fair model with livestock exhibitions, grandstand entertainment, and vendor programs, and represents a benchmark for the upper scale of fair-based organizations.
• National Western Stock Show: Iconic annual livestock exhibition and rodeo event held in Denver. Comparable in its 4-H/FFA livestock exhibition focus, nonprofit governance, and grandstand entertainment model, though at significantly larger national scale and urban setting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thelinncountyfair
• Instagraminstagram.com/thelinncofair
• TikToktiktok.com/@linncountyfair
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linn-county-fair-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Linn County Fair Association