Iowa State Fair announces new leader — and he's an Iowan

When Jeremy Parsons starts as the Iowa State Fair’s CEO, the title and the office will be new, but his obsession with the venerable Iowa institution has been lifelong.

Parsons — who is currently CEO of the Clay County Fair in Spencer — was in elementary school when he first identified the Iowa State Fair manager as his dream job, according to a profile in the N’West Iowa Review. He even sent a fan letter to Marian Lucas, one of the fair’s former general managers, who replied with an invitation to visit that Parsons gleefully accepted.

He got his first job on the Iowa State fairgrounds at 17 and never looked back, Parsons told the Review, working either there or at the Missouri State Fair throughout high school, college and even his first few years as an English teacher. He turned his avocation into a career by becoming the executive director of the Missouri State Fair Foundation after a few years in education. He returned to his home state in 2011 to take the helm in Clay County.

"It is an honor to have been chosen to serve as caretaker for one of Iowa's most beloved institutions," Parsons said in a news release announcing his role. "The Iowa State Fair holds a special place in my heart and I am humbled to join the team responsible for building upon the Fair's rich heritage and traditions."

Parsons, 45, a native of Leon in south central Iowa, will replace Gary Slater, who announced his retirement in October after two decades as CEO.

Slater’s tenure has been marked by steady growth in almost every measure, but especially in attendance, which has regularly exceeded 1 million fairgoers a year.

In 2022, the Fair set a one-day attendance record, seeing 128,298 visitors walk through the gates on the event’s second Saturday. And this year's total attendance of over 1.1 million was only about 51,000 tickets away from 2019’s record.

But with more than 30 years of fair experience, Parsons certainly has the chops to build on his legacy of improvement and innovation, Slater said.

"I've known Jeremy for a long time and seen him grow throughout the industry," Slater said. "He's a very good young man, and he genuinely loves the fair."

And Slater is hopeful Parsons will enjoy the job enough to stay as long as he did.

"It's a good thing for the Iowa State Fair to have longevity and consistency in working toward goals and be able to set goals 10 or 20 years in the future instead of just three or five," he said. "He's really just in the early part of his career, so I am excited to see the Iowa State Fair's greatness continue under his leadership."

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The Clay County Fair is the largest county fair in Iowa and one of the largest in the country, bringing in more than 300,000 guests ― about the same attendance numbers as state fairs in South and North Dakota. After more than 10 years, Parsons is used to a fair manager's sleepless days and nights while gates are open, he told the Review.

But, similarly to the Iowa State Fair, the Clay County fairgrounds is booked more than just nine days in September. Parsons leads a team of 12 full-time employees overseeing events ranging from large-scale agricultural conferences to local weddings nearly every weekend of the year,

Last month, Parsons was not only named Fairman of the Year by the Association of Iowa Fairs, but capped off his year as chairman of the International Association of Fairs and Expos, an honor rarely held by someone not leading a statewide event.

Parsons “has four priorities in life,” said a release announcing his chairmanship, “which he attempts to keep in the proper order ― faith, family, the Chicago Cubs, and fairs.”

When not on the fairgrounds, Parsons, his wife, Kelsei, and his three boys are active members of the Spencer community and their church, Spencer First Baptist.

Parsons' tenure in his dream job is scheduled to begin in early March.

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Courtney Crowder, the Register's Iowa Columnist, traverses the state's 99 counties telling Iowans' stories. Her Iowa State Fair must-haves include cheese fries, A&W root beer and Bauder's peppermint bars. Reach her at ccrowder@dmreg.com or 515-284-8360. Follow her on Twitter @courtneycare.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State Fair announces new fair CEO and manager Jeremy Parsons