One of the legendary events in Iowa is the Bill Riley Talent Search.
And with 2021 on the horizon, Bill Riley Jr. has announced the upcoming season will be his last.
He spoke to "Iowa Live" Thursday about his decision to retire.
"There's a lot of decisions yet to be made, but my wife and I discussed it in roughly January 2020 way before the pandemic and all this craziness took over our lives," Riley said. "We just decided it was time."
2021 will be Riley's 25th at the helm, and he says he is excited to spend more time with his family.
“We can’t thank Bill Riley, Jr. enough for carrying on the legacy that his father started,” Gary Slater, Iowa State Fair Manager and CEO said in a statement. “Generations of talented youth from across Iowa have been proudly showcased at the Iowa State Fair on the namesake, Anne and Bill Riley stage. In 2021, we will celebrate Bill Riley, Jr.’s last tour and then plan for the future of the talent competitions in 2022."
"We want to be able to preserve the same level of excellence in competition and will share all the details at or after the 2021 Iowa State Fair.”