GREENVILLE – The Darke County Fair Board held a special meeting on April 9th at 3:30 pm to finalize issues pertaining to the scheduling of the band show. Supporters of the band attended to learn the fate of their program.
Prior to addressing the issue at hand, Secretary Heidi May read a statement from The Darke County Tractor Pullers Association, in which the organization expressed its respect and support of the band program, adding that it hopes to work together to make the fair great again.
President Marla Werner clarified the current situation and the proper procedure. A motion had already been approved to move the Band Spectacular to Monday at 11 a.m. and the tractor pull to Monday night. In order to make a change, that motion would need to be rescinded, which requires a 2/3 vote.
Craig Bowman made the motion to rescind the prior motion and Greg Pearson seconded it. A roll call vote was taken with three voting yes and six voting no, resulting in the motion to rescind failing. Organizer of Band Spectacular, Jessica Berry, immediately announced that the group would not be attending. She also went on record to thank the board for those who listened to their concerns and supported them.
Berry also stated for the record that they have nothing against the Tractor Pullers’ Association, explaining that the problem is with the scheduling, not the organization, and “nothing was meant to be negatively said against the Tractor Pullers’ Association in that regard.”
President Werner concluded the meeting with a brief comment saying, “It doesn’t matter what any of us in here say one way or another. It’s not going to make the decision better. We’ve also heard from other people in the community who were happy with our decision, so this makes it very hard.”
Following the meeting, Berry was asked about the future of the Band Spectacular. She explained that she has already met with other band directors to discuss possibilities, and while nothing has been decided yet, they plan to try to move forward in finding a new venue to host their show.
Berry concluded, “So we will have a band show; it’s just not going to be there. And we’re going to support these kids and let them show what they can do.”
