Lake County Fair president resigns

The president of the Lake County Fair Association resigned Friday, just days after the group's leadership was assailed for mounting debt.

“I just felt after I poured my heart and soul into this fair, to be treated with that disrespect ... I can't deal with that on a personal level any more,” David DeYoung said Friday. “To be attacked like that, I just said, ‘I've had enough.' ”

DeYoung, who runs a trucking and excavating company in Lake Villa, had served on the board since 1997.

The resignation was prompted by comments made Tuesday at the annual membership meeting.

Greg Koeppen, manager of the Lake County Farm Bureau and one of about 175 members of the not-for-profit group, said the past five years of the development of the new fairgrounds had become a financial disaster and feared the demise of the organization if changes weren't made.

The fair in 2009 moved from its long-standing home at routes 120 and 45 in Grayslake to a new facility, which is unfinished, at Peterson and Midlothian roads in the village.

The most visible part of the group's activities is the weeklong fair held each summer, but it hosts shows and other events all year.

Koeppen made a motion and the membership agreed to several changes, including the hiring of a full-time manager, releases of financial information for the past six years and the creation of finance, building and marketing committees.

The fair has about $2 million outstanding on a construction loan and about another $2 million is owed to outside contractors, officials said.

“It hurts but the stress is gone,” DeYoung said Friday.

Koeppen thanked DeYoung for his years of service.

“Unfortunately, I believe this might be best for the organization as they move forward with the uphill struggles financially,” Koeppen said.

The nine-member volunteer board remains in flux. Secretary Mitch Brya recently resigned and has not been replaced and longtime board member Bill Obenauf retired.

Vice-president Jerry Pretzman said the board will meet to determine its next steps but the recent turmoil would not affect scheduled shows or operations, including the Equestrian Lifestyle Expo & Holiday Market this weekend.

“We won't skip a beat,” he said.