Ticketing Forces Out Fair Manager

Karla Pfeifer was removed from her job by Brown County commissioners during an Aug. 25 meeting when she refused to resign as requested. But issues that plagued the Aberdeen, S.D., fair long predate her arrival. Last year, people ended up with fraudulent charges on their credit cards when the fair was using an outside ticket vendor. A switch to an inhouse system worked well, according to the Aberdeen American News, but ticket distribution for the two-night Dacotah Stampede Rodeo caused major headaches.

When ticket packages are purchased, one ticket for the two-day rodeo is included with weeklong passes for grandstand entertainment. However, customers purchasing the passes aren’t prompted to choose which of the two rodeo days they want to use the ticket for. The second night of the rodeo is traditionally the more popular of the two, but those looking to buy a single-night ticket for $12 were turned away – even though the GA pass was still available for $55, according to the paper.

“The single-night tickets go on sale at the same time as the other tickets,” county commission Chairman Duane Sutton told the American News during the fair’s run. “You have a certain amount of uncertainty. You’re rolling the dice those two nights” as to attendance. Pfeifer recommended people buy their rodeo tickets in advance. But that, apparently, was not enough to save her job given other “traditional” aspects of the fair’s ticketing methods, including single-ticket vs. package purchases during the event.

Commissioners say their decision to let Pfiefer go was based on issues that came up before and during the fair. Pfeifer says commissioners told her their decision came after she forgot to order two trophies out of more than 100 and didn’t submit two grant applications.

She says she submitted the applications and “didn’t do anything wrong.”

Pfeifer was hired in March to replace the previous manager, who died unexpectedly in February.