DES MOINES, Iowa — The owner of Hoppy's on the Hill Lemonade, a longtime staple at the Iowa State Fair, tells Local 5 it plans to take legal action against the fair after its spot was revoked for this year's event.
The fair issued the following statement:
"Due to an incident that involved a minor on the Fairgrounds during an off-seasons event, we are unable in good conscience to offer the owner of Hoppy’s Lemonade a vendor contract in 2021. There is currently a different Hoppy’s Lemonade stand owned by a different person located near the sheep barn."
"We have always tried to look out for the best interests of the public, even when it meant rocking the boat with the fair board (which tended not to make us any friends in that department)," Hoppy's said on Facebook Tuesday.
The stand posted another update about their absence Wednesday, saying: "We want to thank everyone for the massive amount of support you've shown. We are overwhelmed and blown away by your comments and love. The fair isn't one to rescind a decision no matter the backlash, but regardless we will be turning our focus to smaller community-centered venues in the future. We'll keep you posted, in the meantime, off to hide away from media attention for a while."
Owner John Hartney told Local 5 Thursday it could not comment because of impending legal action before saying “not one person out there has talked to me about this. It’s not a fair deal.”
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