Bannock County Fairgrounds contract will not dip into event revenues

Bannock County Commissioners signed a new contract with a concessions group for fairground events this Summer. The group is out of salt lake city, however, some people who hold events at the fairgrounds don’t like the contract.

Every Summer, families come to the Bannock County Fairgrounds for a good time.
But this summer, members of the POW MIA say their events will not be there. They say they fear County Commissioners’ new contract with Diamond Concessions may touch on their much needed revenue.

However, Director for the County’s Public Works, Dan Copeland says that’s not the case.

He says the purpose of the new contract is to only improve the quality of concessions and to avoid touching tax payer dollars to pay for the facility.

“The whole idea about this, is to have a professional concessions program. We’re trying to get going up here. And to control the alcohol sales and to have a variety of food in a professional service. We’re also trying to have the facility to pay for itself. And so the whole idea is to make it as self-fundable as we can make it,” said Copeland.

He says he doesn’t want this misunderstood. And says other events are not dropping out of the fairgrounds, except the POW MIA.

POW members have moved their events to the Pocatello Raceway, scheduled to kick off in July.

“We really felt we had no choice. When the Bannock County Commissioners signed the concessions contract, that took away our ability to have any kind of concessions. And it cuts too deep into our profits for us, for POW and local veteran families,” said Hiedi Young, Director of the POW MIA Awareness Rally.

Copeland says the contract is something new that he hopes event members can be more patient with and watch evolve.

Bannock County Fairground events will start in August.