09/02/2026
TODAY ???????
REQUEST FOR RECONSIDERATION OF FAIRGROUNDS RENTAL DECISION
September 2, 2026
To the Rusk County Extension Committee and Appropriate County Officials:
We respectfully request reconsideration of the decision made at today’s Rusk County Extension meeting regarding our request to rent the Rusk County Fairgrounds on September 4, 2027, for the Rusk County Xtreme Bulls Event.
We believe there are several important factors that warrant further review and consideration before a final decision is made.
Last year, we were approved to rent the Fairgrounds for our July 3, 2026 event. That date fell before several of the community’s major annual events, including Mardi Gras, the Rusk County Fair, and the rodeo.
In 2025, however, our requests were denied on three separate occasions under different proposed date scenarios. Among the concerns expressed were that our event could interfere with the Fair, youth activities, and the rodeo, and that our event might negatively affect those programs.
Despite being unable to use the Fairgrounds, we remained committed to producing our event in Ladysmith. We ultimately held it on private property under extremely challenging circumstances, without the benefit of permanent electricity, running water, bleachers, restroom facilities, or existing event buildings.
Nevertheless, approximately 1,800 tickets were sold for our one-day event.
This was accomplished despite temperatures reaching approximately 100 degrees, which understandably prevented some ticket holders from attending. Regardless, the number of tickets sold demonstrates the significant public interest in this event and the number of people it has the potential to bring into our community.
Those visitors contribute to the local economy through fuel purchases, restaurants, lodging, retail businesses, and other services. We believe the event provides a meaningful economic and tourism benefit to Ladysmith and Rusk County.
Our plans for 2027 are even larger, and we had sincerely hoped to bring this growing family-oriented event to the Rusk County Fairgrounds—a public facility located in our own community.
During today’s meeting, a question was raised regarding how we could advertise the Fairgrounds as the event location before receiving approval for the 2027 rental. I attempted to explain the circumstances but did not have an opportunity to fully address the issue.
Our Facebook event page was originally established in connection with our approved Fairgrounds rental for the July 3, 2026 event. Because of the way the page and our subsequent promotional posts were configured, some advertising for the proposed 2027 event continued to automatically display the Fairgrounds as the location.
There was no intention to presume approval by the County or to represent that a 2027 rental agreement had already been granted. We apologize for any misunderstanding this may have created, and we will take the necessary steps to correct our advertising until a location is formally approved.
We do have an alternative location available in Ladysmith, and we remain appreciative of the assistance the City provided when we needed an alternative site previously. However, we strongly believe the Rusk County Fairgrounds is the most appropriate venue for an event of this size and nature.
The Fairgrounds already exists to accommodate community events and large public gatherings, and our event has demonstrated its ability to attract a substantial audience to Rusk County. We believe allowing us to rent the facility would benefit not only our event but also area businesses, residents, visitors, and the broader community.
We are therefore respectfully requesting that the County review the September 2, 2026 decision and provide us with an opportunity to meet with the appropriate committee or County representatives before a final determination is made regarding our September 4, 2027 rental request.
We are willing to discuss reasonable conditions, scheduling considerations, facility requirements, insurance, security, cleanup, and any other legitimate concerns the County may have regarding the rental.
Our objective is not to compete with or negatively affect other community organizations or events. Our objective is to continue building a successful event that brings people into Ladysmith and Rusk County and creates additional economic activity while providing quality family entertainment.
We are committed to producing the Rusk County Xtreme Bulls Event in 2027, and our strong preference is to produce it at the Rusk County Fairgrounds and work cooperatively with the County to make the event successful, safe, and beneficial to everyone involved.
For these reasons, we respectfully ask the Committee and County officials to reconsider today's decision and grant us an opportunity for further discussion before our rental request is denied permanently.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and willingness to review this matter. We look forward to the opportunity to discuss our request and hopefully reach a solution that benefits Rusk County, the City of Ladysmith, local businesses, and the community as a whole.
Important note: We will move this event in 2027 if necessary, the same Saturday night of the Fair's Rodeo night, we are done fighting for something we should not.... GOOD LUCK!
Respectfully,
Johanna Williams/ THE 2027 RUSK COUNTY BULL MANIA EVENT
715.403.5162 See less
