Pam Weaver booked the Monroe County Fairgrounds in 2019, with plans to put on an entertainment and camping event for families during the weekend leading up to the total solar eclipse on April 8. She had booked 15 bands and multiple vendors and was calling the event “Shadowfest.”
At the beginning of February, Weaver received an email from the Fair Board saying it was not in their best interest to continue the event due to irregularities in her required payments.
“When they sent that message, I was just in shock, literally quivering,” Weaver said. "Sixty days out, I was already spending tens of thousands of dollars of my own money to promote it. Fifteen bands had been booked, vendors booked, volunteers volunteered.”
The Fair Board reached out to her last fall and said she was overdue for a payment. She said that according to the contract she signed in 2019, she was on track with payments and had already paid what she owed.
“The board sent an email in October reminding her of the contract and that she was in violation at that time,” the Monroe County Fair Association said in a statement. “Ms. Weaver spoke with caretaker and said she would rectify the situation in a new agreement with the fair board.”
Weaver said the amount they requested was different from her initial contract.
“It's vastly different,” Weaver said. “It's not like it's a few hundred. It's thousands of dollars difference they wanted... It's a totally different payment structure. It's just weird.”
Then, after she received the email in February, Weaver said she offered to pay the remainder in cash and that the board told her she could speak with Fair Board president Jake Clark. According to her, she called and never received a call back.
“I never had a chance to have a real conversation with them,” Weaver said. "We had all been on really good terms up until that point.”
Monroe County Fair Association representatives said in a statement they tried to work out a solution with Weaver.
“Again in February Ms. Weaver was again in violation of the current contract. It was at this time that the Monroe County Fair Board voted to cancel the contract with Ms. Weaver and the Shadow Festival,” the association said in the statement.
Weaver said she believes the cancellation may have something to do with required safety updates to the buildings at the fairgrounds. She had conducted a walk through with a fire marshal, who said there were safety concerns within a few of the buildings she was planning to use, specifically the ones she was to use for people to sleep inside.
In a statement, Dustin Dillard, fire chief at the Monroe Fire Protection District, said the district had provided guidance on how to move forward to alleviate safety concerns – specifically about people staying in buildings typically not used for that purpose.
“MFPD met with the Shadowfest event coordinator and fair representatives to discuss the planned use of the existing fair buildings. It became apparent to us the Shadowfest event was to include residential use of the livestock and commercial buildings. The use of these buildings for residential purposes is prohibited by State Fire Code due to the lack of fire suppression and alerting systems.
“MFPD met with event organizers to discuss the issues and provided information on how to obtain variances from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security,” Dillard continued in the statement.
Weaver volunteered to take indoor and outdoor camping off the docket, she said, and asked the Fairgrounds to “please fix the two buildings” that were essential for the event.
“It wasn't my job to keep it up to code,” Weaver said. “It was their job.”
In response, the Monroe County Fair Association said their buildings comply for the uses they allow.
“The Monroe County Fair is absolutely in compliance with the State Fire Marshal when the buildings are used for their intended purpose for the Monroe County Fair. The buildings are not in compliance for the uses that Ms. Weaver and the Shadow Festival wanted to use them for. We wish Ms. Weaver the best on her future endeavors,” the association said in the statement.
Now, the Monroe County Fairgrounds are offering free viewing of the eclipse for people of the community on April 8, with the gates opening at 8 a.m. They are also offering paid camping spots opening Thursday or Friday and running through Tuesday.
"Come out with us and enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” the association said in a statement.
Weaver is working to find all the bands and vendors other events to attend and provide refunds to the community.
