The owner of the venue that hosted a campaign rally for Vice President-elect JD Vance in Sparta Township is now facing permit violations after the event exceeded capacity limits. Dale Bergman, the Sparta Township supervisor, expressed that the decision to move the September 17 rally indoors was an eleventh-hour shift dictated by the Secret Service, noting that it was "really cool for a small-time place like Sparta to have him come here," according to WOODTV.
Chad Momber, the owner of Apple Valley Events, has held a special land-use permit since February 2023, however, the indoor gathering attracted over 500 attendees, overtaking the 99-person limit stipulated by land-use permits and lacking the required fire suppression system for groups of such size. "During (the Vance event), more than 99 people occupied the building," Fresh Coast Planning reported to the Sparta Township Planning Commission. The overcrowded event followed closely on the heels of an assassination attempt against President-elect Donald Trump, as detailed by WOODTV.
Nevertheless, some local officials are supportive of Momber, pointing to unforeseen circumstances that led to the permit violations. "It really wasn't Chad's fault," Sparta Village Manager Jim Lower told FOX 17 News, asserting that the Secret Service's intervention was the primary cause for the indoor rally. In a statement, Village of Sparta Fire Chief Dan Olney expressed confidence in the safety of the event, saying, "I don’t know how much safer that building could have been that day."
The township's planning commission has yet to reach a final decision on the fate of Momber's permit following a public hearing, which ended without resolution and was adjourned until a later date. "We need these events. To violate me, this is insanity," Momber argued, hopeful that the violations will be lifted to permit future events at his center, as WZZM13 reported. Despite the violations, Apple Valley Events continues to operate and host events as the planning commission deliberates further action.
