State fair management: joint decision led to cancellation of Kid Rock show

MINOT, N.D. (KMOT) – The 2022 North Dakota State Fair did not start quite the way it was supposed to.

Kid Rock, the fair’s main entertainer on Day 1, canceled his show at the last minute, after winds following the severe weather wouldn’t die down.

Joe Skurzewski asked: “Who made the decision to cancel the performance? Was it Kid Rock, was it the state fair, was it a joint decision, or something else?”

State Fair General Manager Renae Korslien said: “It was definitely a joint decision. We’d been working together for well over an hour, trying to figure out how we could get it put on.”

Korslien says the team of the fair, production manager, Kid Rock’s crew, the authorities, and the National Weather Service thought they would wait it out, but the wind never died down enough.

She says the monitors and speakers on each side of the stage were swaying back and forth, which led to the decision around 10:30 p.m. to cancel.

She also defends the decision to have Ward County Sheriff Bob Roed break the news to the crowd of 18,000, which became restless, tossing bottles on to the stage.

“If I would have stepped out there, I don’t know if the people would have listened that closely as they did to our sheriff. We all have great respect for him, and respect for when he steps up to a microphone. And this was a serious situation,” said Korslien.

Some fairgoers traveled across the country for the performance. Jan Hutto came to Minot from Las Vegas to visit family and see Kid Rock. She understands why they erred on the side of safety, but says she wanted to hear it from the man himself.

“It would have been great for him to come out, even without his performers, because this is a patriot crowd that love him, and it would have been great for him to announce that it had been canceled due to the fact that it was so windy,” said Hutto.

Kid Rock is scheduled to perform next at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming on July 27.

As for the North Dakota State Fair, the the fair goes on, and Cody Johnson is expected to take the main stage at the grandstand Saturday night. Meteorologist Jacob Morse says there’s no threat for severe weather Saturday night, and conditions are expected to be relatively calm.

As for refunds, the fair says everyone who purchased a ticket with a credit card through the fair should have gotten a refund on their account Saturday morning, though it may take five to seven business days to appear.

She says anyone who purchased their tickets through the fair with cash should keep their receipts, and can get a refund from the fair with a photo ID, so long as the name on the ID matches the name on the ticket.

Those who bought tickets through a third party will have to contact the third party for a refund.

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