In 2006, a certified public accountant brought in to review the books of the Southeast Alaska State Fair determined the organization was bankrupt. A former executive director had allowed charges at local stores, federal tax bills, and associated penalties to pile up to a debt of more than $100,000.
“We owed so much to the federal government in taxes. The federal government was putting the squeeze on us. We owed (creditor) Roger (Schnabel) a bunch…