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Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The best memories and most fun for kids at the county fair were the rides and the carnival games. Most of us middle aged adults can remember trudging through mud and grass to spend our $5 on spinning rides, cotton candy and the bean bag toss. The carnival at the fair in Enid was just as big as going to the carnival at Tri-State. The difference was the fair carnival came with those ever memorable livestock smells and the sound of the race cars.
As with many other fairs, the Garfield County Fair always had a great carnival to attract residents to the local fairgrounds. Many people never even knew about the livestock judging, the flower competitions, the pie baking contests and all of the other wonderful things that make up a county fair. Most thought it was nothing more than a carnival.
And now many years later without the carnival there is much less enthusiasm about the fair and all of the other hidden fun that continues to take place year after year. This year for instance there will still be livestock judging which is very important to many young breeders, there will be a horse show, a pie baking contest, an ice cream taste off and the all important turtle and frog races.
See the 2012 Garfield County Fair schedule.
Although the county fair may not be what it once was it shouldn't go away and residents shouldn't forget about it. The county fair board would gladly like to hear from everyone as to how the fair can be improved and what other events and activities can be added to make it special for our kids and grand-kids.
Why isn't there a carnival at the Garfield County Fair? Why are there fewer carnivals at fairs throughout the US? Economics and fewer people attending fairs.
Enid and Garfield County are not the only fairs now without a carnival. Most smaller fairs throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and other states have seen the loss of their carnivals as well.
When Steve Barnes started this job at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center 12 years ago, he would receive at least 6 phone calls a year from carnivals wanting to come to Enid for the Garfield County Fair. Now, he makes phone calls every year trying to get a carnival to come to Enid.
There are many causes. One reason is there are just not as many carnivals as there used to be. They are all facing the same financial issues as everyone else. Their primary concern is liability insurance. The high cost of operating has driven several area carnivals out of business in recent years. It would take $16,000-$20,000 guaranteed minimum just to get a carnival to show up and many smaller fairs just do not have that kind of money. Some fairs may only see a profit of $5,000-$6,000.
Fewer carnivals means fewer fairs can have a carnival. And since economics is the major factor, they must go where they can make the most money. The week following Labor Day is one of the most popular weeks for local fairs and there are many fairs much larger than our County Fair.
The only option would be to move our fair to another week. If we move it a week later, it would interfere with the 4-H and FFA students with their animals getting ready and available for the State Fair in OKC and Tulsa. If we moved it to the week earlier, it runs into Labor Day weekend and no one wants their holiday to be spent at the County Fair. If it was moved 2 weeks earlier, it interferes with one of the fairgrounds largest events, the USTRC team roping.
So, there is no easy cure or fix. If anyone has a solution, please contact the county fair board or send ideas to sheri@chisholmtrailexpo.com.
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