By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — Motorcycle racing will return to the Great Darke County Fair in 2025. There was some speculation that it would not return after Len Nealeigh announced prior to the 2024 fair that he would not be promoting the races any longer. At the regular meeting of the Darke County Agricultural Society’s Board of Directors on Wednesday, an organization stepped forward and offered to bring in the races and the fair board accepted the proposal.

Melissa Brawley, with For the Riders Promotions, asked to take over the motorcycle races during the fair. The organization asked for very little from the directors with the exception of sponsorship of the two largest races. The group will provide their own track preparation equipment but would like to have access to the water truck, if needed. Their goal is to get the riders more involved with the attendees. They will be bringing riders over to the Grandstand to meet with the crowd and will be promoting the event throughout the fair with racers meeting with fair attendees in the days leading up to the race. Brawley did ask the board to consider doing away with assigned seats in the Grandstand and offering general admission, first-come, first-served seating. She also stated that For the Rider Promotions would also like to allow those with Pit Passes to be able to come and sit in the Grandstand if they want. As part of a concession from the organization, they will give the fair $10 from every Pit Pass sold. For the Rider Promotions will seek additional sponsors and will lower the entry fee for riders to help pay the track workers and cover the prize money.

For the Rider Promotions also asked to the board to require attendees to have a ticket to watch practices before the racing begins.

The only consideration For the Rider Promotions asked for in return was for the fair to sponsor the two races at a cost of $5,000. Board members agreed this was half of what they had been paying in the past and readily agreed to sponsor the races.

The board has been working on new horse racing stall rental contracts and additional language was added to the contracts on Wednesday. In addition to requiring those leasing stalls to pay at the beginning of the month rather than the end of the month, the board will now require new renters to pay a $25 deposit on each stall rented. If the stall is left in disrepair when the renter leaves, the deposit will be kept to help pay for repairs or clean up. Director Craig Bowman explained that if a renter has three stalls and only one is left in disrepair, the renter will lose the entire deposit. Bowman said he spent six hours cleaning out stalls for a horseman that leased space at the fair so they could have stalls during the fair. He pointed out that if they had to pay someone to clean the stalls they would have the money to pay that person. The deposit would only be required of new renters. The current renters are grandfathered into their original agreements when it comes to the deposit.

The fairgrounds would also require horse trailers to be parked in designated areas. Those areas are near barns one, two and three and behind barn six.

A fourth requirement threatens expulsion from the fairgrounds if there is verbal abuse towards an employee of the Agricultural Society. This includes the fair manager, caretaker and track employees. However, the board voted later in the meeting to turn the care of the track over to the horsemen and turned the tractor dedicated to the track over to them. They will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the tractor as well as maintaining the track.

The board approved all additions to the contract. The contract is expected to be ready for the renters by Nov. 1.

The board unanimously agreed to adopt a policy that prohibits the use of recreational marijuana on the fairgrounds at all times. Signs will be posted at each gate and throughout the fairgrounds. Anyone found to be using recreational marijuana will be ejected from the fairgrounds.

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].