DES MOINES, Iowa — The decades-old vendor Steer N’ Stein will not be invited back to the 2025 fair, the Iowa State Fair Board announced Wednesday.
This news comes days after Local 5 News reported that the fair alleged Steer N’ Stein owner, Michael Krantz, owed them over $100,000.
The fair investigated this matter with Steer N’ Stein, saying they are not continuing its relationship because of delayed payments to the fair and its employees, and failed payments with a contractor.
Now, the Fair Board will move forward with finding a new operator for the facility.
“Obviously when you have a partner who is not living up to their side of the deal, it is disappointing,” Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons said following the board meeting Wednesday afternoon. “The Iowa State Fair is a happy place, somewhere people come to have a good time, and things like this are always a little disheartening.”
Once someone purchases the facility, that name would likely be changed by those new owners.
Krantz currently faces another separate lawsuit as well, alleging he owes a contractor around $218,000 for their work on Steer N’ Stein and at his home.
Last week, Krantz's attorney told Local 5 "All outstanding obligations will be resolved very soon.” He also said, amid the lawsuit and debt claims, Krantz is not considering bankruptcy.