Severe weather struck eastern Iowa Thursday. Extensive repairs will have to be made to the grandstand at the Buchanan County Fairgrounds in Independence after high winds blew the roof off Thursday.
The winds, at times gusting to nearly 50 miles an hour, ripped the roof off the grandstand at about noon, cutting some nearby power lines in the process. Power was restored to that side of Independence a short time later. No one was injured. However a lot of work will have to be done to get the grandstand ready for this season’s events. The first stock car race is slated to start the last Saturday of this month.