Effort to stop move of State Fair gathering petitions

There's one week left for Fair Vote Nebraska to gather signatures on petitions to repeal LB1116 -- the law that authorized a move of the Nebraska State Fair from Lincoln to Grand Island by 2010.

The group needs 60,000 valid signatures by July 16, said organizer Mike Donlan of Lincoln. For the petition drive to be successful, Donlan said, 38 counties need to represented by at least 5 percent of their registered voters.

More than 1,000 signatures were turned over Wednesday from Grand Island residents.

"We did 895" signatures, Curtis Cellar said as he finished counting the petitions that he had available or that he collected at his business, the Library Restaurant and Lounge at 2530 St. Patrick Ave. "We even have some from Douglas County."

"That's a pretty good stack there," said Carol Brown, a petition volunteer from Lincoln who drove out to Grand Island to pick up signed petitions.

She and Lincoln volunteer Greg McClure also collected petitions from the Alibi Lounge and Package Store at 908 N. Broadwell Ave. and from individual circulator Barb Milner of Grand Island.

Milner said she collected about 160 signatures from people who called her at home (381-7171) or whom she knew. She didn't carry the petitions door to door.

"A lot of people didn't want to sign it because they don't understand what it is," Milner said.

When she explained that the petition simply places the State Fair move on the November ballot, people seemed more supportive, she said.

"It's just to get it on the ballot so that the citizens of Nebraska can vote on whether they want the fair to move," Milner said. "A lot of people were thinking it's (the petition) to not have it here."

While many Grand Island residents have expressed excitement about hosting the 107-year-old State Fair at Grand Island's Fonner Park, others have been opposed to the city's $8.5 million share of the $42 million price tag to move the fair.

Cellar said most of the signers he talked to were concerned about the cost. His said that's his primary opposition, too, because the city is considering implementing a 2-percent occupation tax on food and beverages served by restaurants, drive-throughs, caterers and bars to help pay for the move.

"Each business handles it differently, but it was going to cost me too much to take on the occupation tax -- I figured $2,000 a year," Cellar said. "I like the idea of being able to vote on stuff -- and we've had some sour things going around already."

Grand Island implemented a smoking ban June 1 that is hitting bars hard, Cellar said.

McClure said he's a University of Nebraska graduate but is embarrassed by the university's desire to take over State Fair Park land for a research and innovation park.

"This is the longest-running cultural event in the state of Nebraska," he said.

None of the petition organizers had a feel for the number of signatures gathered statewide to date, but they did say the Fourth of July holiday netted many signatures at celebrations across the state.

"We have 5,500 petitions out," McClure said. "That's the important number, and there were 51 counties at last count."

Each petition can hold up to 20 signatures.

Organizers are asking that all petitions be returned to Lincoln by Monday, so they can be processed before being submitted to the secretary of state's office by Wednesday's deadline.

There are nearly 100 cities that have at least one petition location, according to the Fair Vote Nebraska Web site at fairvotenebraska.com.



Where to sign

To sign the petition in Central Nebraska:

Ashton: Travis's Bar and Grill.

Aurora: Overtime Bar and Grill.

Broken Bow: Huckleberry's Hideout.

Burwell: Sandstone Grill and Restaurant.

Central City: Lincoln Manor Steakhouse.

Grand Island: Alibi Lounge, Library Restaurant and Lounge and Barbara Milner.

Greeley: TR Crickets Restaurant and Lounge.

Hastings: Ray's Café.

Kearney: Jersey's Sports Bar and Grill.

Osceola: White Eagle Restaurant.

York: Blue Valley Inn, Crossroads Cafe, Finish Line Grill and Bar, Golden Gate Cuisine, Porky's Pizza.