End of a fair death of a small town

JOCCO

Well-known Member
Well just heard that a fair is shutting down for next year, If it does not get a buyer and a few other things. The amusements pulled out this year. Really believe that rural America is going to die. It has been going since 1850 and is very sad. Just wondering where it will end?
 

Small towns naturally popped up to support and profit from small farm communities when travel was slower and more difficult. With the rise of the BTO, the small town no longer has a purpose. How is a Co-op in town going to survive when there's just a handful of big farmers? No need for a local bank, everyone banks online. No need for a hardware store, grocery store, gas station, everyone just goes to Wallyworld tree towns over.

So now a town has to figure out another way to make money. Some try to become tourist destinations, but it seems only a handful of towns per state can sucessfully go that horrible route. Here in Wisconsin, it seems that the Wisconsin Dells has "won" that race, with Door County and Bayfield as runners-up. I don't think Catfish capitol or city of the dome is gonna take over...

Yup, small towns are dead. Progress (good or bad) killed them. I don't think there's anything that will bring them back.

Also, fairs were popular when entertainment was rare. It was a once a year event that brought the whole town together to compete on who grows the best tomatoes, who bakes the best pie, and who produces the nicest hog. Now, everyone gets their food at the aforementioned store. Who's gonna bake a pie for a fair? The Grant County fair is this weekend and my kids are in 4H, so we spent a lot of time in the Youth and Ag building. The crops, baked goods, canned goods, leathercraft, crocheting, and clothing were very light in competition. Photography, dioramas, and legos were very popular. Attendance is much lower than I remember as a kid. Why go to the fair? There's a TV in my house! I'm guessing a lot of fairs are gonna quit in the next years.
 
Rural America is dying, there are very few jobs.

That is why there is such a drug problem there now, and it will get worse.
 
It's a sad reality in many places. We had our county fair a few weeks ago, and spent a whole week there because my kids show for 4h.

Thankfully our county has a lot of 4h youngsters showing livestock which keeps attendance steady. demo derbys help with attendance too. Within a few generations if youngsters aren't around livestock I'd be surprised if our fair continues to bring people in.
 
Face it a lot of people in small rural places do not want to change with the changing times so things economically just blow past them and leave them in the dust.One county here is like that
they beat back Walmart and large gas station/restaurant so the businesses just go 10 miles up the road in the next county and locate now the first county is crying the blues about lack of tax money.You either change with the times or get run over by them just the way it is.
 
Our county has had a fair for the last 5 or 6 years and it is growing. The county purchased land for it to have a permanent home. I could not care less about the carnival part, but the years I took canned goods, I won some ribbons. Even some blue ones.
Antique tractors and equipment show up also.
Richard in NW SC
 
A retired school teacher wrote a book call My Home Town. The first car to come to town was 1910. The guy who bought it had his grandson drive him around. After the automobiles come on the scene the town started drying. Highway bypassed the town first. Grain elevator moved out on new highway next. Then the carnival stopped coming. Railroad pulled there track through town. All the while business were slowing leaving. Now you can buy a postage stamp in the morning and a can of pop 24 hours a day in front of the fire station.
 
That is happening in the town I live in. Most don't want change and the town is dying because of it. Everyone is related to each other or good friends. So service is very bad in town. If you'r are not one of the crowd you'r sol. I no longer shop in this town, I go up to the next town to get what I need. As do many others.

My sister in law is the tax collector for the county. The first thing she did was keep the tax office open at lunch. I thought WWIII was going to start.This is the only town in this county that is not growing. I can see a day when the only thing in town. Will be the court house and county jail. I have seen it happen before.
 
Fairs where originally set up to show case new agricultural technology, and showcase improvements in livestock breeding. None of that matters to the folks whom might attend a small fair. The original idea was to promote agricultural production, to make food plentiful, and cheap. Agricultural fairs received money from local and State/provincial body's to make this happen. The entire reason for the existence of the fair is gone. Those of us that are still active in commercial agriculture, now go to farm shows to see the latest advancement in agricultural equipment and techniques. There is no longer any real need for the cow show ring with the ability to do genomic testing to see if desired breeding charactistics will transfer from one generation to the next. Most cow shows I have been to, the winning cow may have as many as five named as the owners of the cow, and most the those named don't own and farm land or a dairy herd. They are just investors, former farmers and drovers, cattle dealers. Very few commercial farmers will show cows anymore, really nothing in it but the glory, and a lot of work and $$$$ spent. Fairs will continue to disappear, and or change away from what we new as kids, just like every thing else we new. We where lucky to have been able to view the past, and live in the present.
 
We have had a county fair for ever - 80 yrs + - this is the first year we haven't had a "demolition derby" at our fair! No cars anymore. We lost our Ferris Wheel 5 yrs ago- just as well not have one.
 
County fairs and other celebrations started the downward spiral when they started focusing on 4H and other things a 12 year old would be interested in. In our county - and a LOT of counties - they have 4H class for them to enter. Of course, no one outside of 4H can enter in this class. The also have "open" class, where anyone can enter (including 4H'ers). Guess who always wins the "open" class......
Add to that the high cost of food, etc (small bag of cotton candy - $7), and it's no wonder people stop going.
Most small towns simply cannot afford the cost of the shows, insurance, and low adult turnout.

Our county has a "festival" every October in connection with Missouri Statehood Day. They USED to have a tractor show, parade, band competition, vendors, and shows. Last year they cancelled the tractor show because the organizers wanted $25 a tractor to participate it that and the parade. Result: 4 tractors that did not get the message were there. The parade was missing a lot of entries because of it, too. They raised the cost of vendor spaces, so a lot stayed away. The band competition is still going strong, but that only brings more unsupervised 13 year olds to the event, thus bringing more vendors selling Chinese cr^p that a 13 year old is interested in. Food is outrageously expensive! A "Banty" turkey leg was selling for $7, until they decided to quit because people were complaining about them being smaller than chicken drums at the store. The town's diner loves it - they get a lot of business because people are starting to refuse to spend the money at the show, thus food vendors a starting to shy away.

All-in-all, adults are tire of high prices, fees, unsupervised kids, and Chinese junk, so it's no wonder things are dying....
 
The insurance in those places have gotten so expensive those places are forced to close. They can only pass just so much of the cost along.
 
I think small towns will come back. As a matter of fact I support building walls around big cities and posting gaurds on the outside of the gate.
 
I went to our county fair last week, but it's not what it used to be. There wasn't even a carnival. When I was there, there was a demo derby in process that drowned out all the other fair activities.

I was in 4H only a couple of years when I was a kid. Just long enough to learn that if your last name wasn't A_____, E_______, or I_______, you were wasting your time.

In the livestock shows and elsewhere, invariably all of the purple and blue ribbons went to kids with one of those three well known local last names, and the rest of us got the red and white ribbons that were left over, even if the judges had to fabricate reasons.
 
Our county fair slowed way down 30 years ago. It's actually picked up a little the that 15 or so. Not what they used to be, but still beating.

Carnivals have it rough. One could only do 1 of the 3 fairs they had contracted for this past weekend. Not enough workers. They depend on migrants because Americans won't work that lifestyle. Couldn't find any workers. Can't be good to have 2/3 of your equipment idle.

Paul
 
We dropped our daughter off to college in New Ulm this past weekend, paul. Town looks great, even with the road construction.

I'm sure having such a large "NorthernEuropeanHeritageFest" cuts down on the need for a county fair to pull folks into town...
 
I can see why demo derbys are dying, no cheap cars anymore. You can't pay $1000 for a car and put a bunch of money and time in it to win $200.
 
"Carnivals have it rough... Not enough workers."

My recollection is that carnival workers tended to be a special type of person. It could be that there aren't many of them around any more because they're all in jail.
 
Our small town of approx.800 had four main street buildings burn last month. Three of them were buisness other was residence. No lives lost. Doubt there will be any rebuilding. Many years ago according to history that same side of the town completly burnt down.
 
that way of life is dying out. young people are going to them. insurance rates are sky hi. accidents that are shown on tv are really hurting them. most small towns are stagnant in the belief. they still try to run there small fairs just like they did 40 years ago. different age now. you have to cater to the 30 year olds or less to have a good fair. I remember a small town of 500 people we use to have main street lined with rides and booths. the last one they had last month there were I think 4 rides and no booths. small towns seems like its for retired people anymore. they don't create any jobs so there younger people are moving out. the towns who are fighting back and trying to bring in joba are experiencing a population rise. the others are just wilting away and family values are going with it. just a sad thing any way you look at it.
 
County fairs near urban areas are still doing very well, plenty of participants, vendors and attendance. It takes people with disposable incomes to support fairs, isolated rural areas seem to lack both.
 

The changing demographics of society due to improved transportation and instant communication around the world.
People no longer have to leave home and attend church, weddings, funerals, family reunions, Women's Institute, boy scouts, girl scouts, Men's Lodge, Women's Lodge to socialize and know what is going on.
The small town's end began when the horse and buggy was replaced with the private automobile.
 
It varies quite a bit location to location. Our fair at Medina is not nearly what it used to be and it has been going over 170 years. Lorain county right next to us has one of the better county fairs in Ohio. People ask me what makes the Lorain fair better than the others. Well, they have more exhibits with good parking with multiple singers each year (usually country music), a truck pull, a NTPA tractor pull, a county tractor pull, combine demolition derby, demo derby, good antique tractor display etc. Theres just a lot of events that draw more people than most of the other local fairs. It is getting expensive just to watch a tractor pull anymore. One of the National pulls locally is $15 plus $5 admission. Not hard to spend $50 or $60 in one day between fuel, admission and buying food there. Some of the county fairs in South central and southern Ohio are getting ridiculous too with 8 and 10 dollar admissions. Who is going to have money to spend inside the fair when admission is that high?
 
People don't make the county fair their summer vacation or summer entertainment like they used to in the old days. Here in my part of Iowa we don't have the small livestock farms to provide kids home raised animals to show at the fair. When I was a kid my sis and I could go to the county fair only if we had the corn and beans walked in time. That was our big summer outing.

And, my pet peeve, the animals that are shown at the fair are bought from a show stock provider. The more money the dad has, the better the FFA'er or 4H'er does at the fair because a rich daddy can buy better bred lines. This goes for rabbits all the way up to cattle and horses. Period!
 
I wouldn't say that. Ranch down here was looking for a barn hand to take care of four show barns. Free house to live in free truck,free gas good pay. Couldn't find anyone to take the job.Except for a guy from down south that had his papers
 
Kind of agree with everybody else. I remember when I was much younger back around 1980 the county fair board sweating the cost of insurance to put on a fair. It most likely has gotten worse since then. Then that large cost with rising utilities has made the admittance fee too high. Then there is the internet which can show you much more when it comes to farm equipment and livestock. 4H clubs have been in decline for decades as there are fewer farm families per community. I'm not all that old but I was a grade schooler the last time local equipment dealers brought stuff to look at. Most jobs around here today when adjusted for inflation don't have the buying power of 30-40 years ago and will not get better as time moves forward. I don't envy a person age 20-25 that wants to live like it is 1977 again. Used to be new car dealerships easily out numbered used car lots but that has flipped over to the other way now. All the new car dealers have built new facilities in the past few years and I am skeptical as to the payoff in that as more people have less buying power in a community. All the consumer buying power rests with people over age 60 who had non-service sector jobs and bought homes for on average 10,000 dollars in their youth. Shockwaves ahead in the economy.
 
I will not mourn the decline and eventual demise of fairs. Games of chance are rigged towards the operators. Food prices are sky high for mediocre food - most of which would not pass a health code inspection. Rides are assembled, operated, and cared for by "carnies" - folks that usually live "off the grid" for one reason or another. You will never bet me on a Ferris wheel or any of those "high altitude" rides. Too far to fall and too much potential for injury.
However, rural America has a bright future. Many folks like to be away from having your neighbor at arm's reach across your driveway.
 
Two really good fairs that take place in August every year are the West Virginia State Fair in Lewisburg and the Rockingham County Fair in Rockingham Co Virginia near Harrisonburg
both have lots of ag type things going on.Plus the Virginia State Fair at the end of Sept has really improved since the VA Farm Bureau took it over.
 
I just read all the reply's and you guys are dead on. (pun intended) I have nothing to add. Only a story. When I was growing up I asked my Dad if I could join 4-h. He said "you have all the godda-n 4-h you need right out their in the barn"
 
A friend I went to school with is on the local fair board. The Lewis County Fair seems to be doing well. The tractor pull is the big money maker (santioned NTPA event). The carny people I've talked to seem to be happy with the proceeds they take in. I do know that the live entertainment is a continual money loser. Expenses are too high for the size of the grandstand space. Although I believe that the Charlie Daniels show did well this year (cost em over $50,000). In regard to rigged games, Almost all of the games in the Colman Bros. midway are winner every time games. (at least on the two children's days anyway) Coleman is one of the better carny outfits. We had another carny outfit do the fair when I was younger. They were the type of carny outfit described below. Our county fairs' fortunes started to improve almost immediately after they were given the boot. Ours is still a true rural fair yet. The kids still raise their own show animals. on the other hand, if it wasn't for the tractor pull..........................................................The demolition derby used to bring in good decent money, but I didn't ask Gary how it does nowdays. As far as food goes, At least 50% of the food stands are local restuarants who set up at the fair every year. They do very well. Free admission brings in a lot of people who eat dinner on their lunch breaks that wouldn't otherwise go.
 
Here in western Ohio they are going strong. The carnys are the big thing and they are setting up even in mall parking lots. Had to go to look for sweeper bags that Sears no longer has avaible. And had trouble getting to store because of the carneys. 4H still big. Admissin is also too big. I don't go anymore. The one day that I might go is senior day and they also have a tractor show but it happens to be when I am going to be at Portland, In show. Biggest show in try state area.
 
Not around here. Land is selling at ridiculous prices. Just about everything around me is for sale or has sold the last year. I'm within commuting distance of the DFW metroplex (where I commuted for 35 years) which is growing by leaps and bounds. 400 acres near me recently went on the market in mostly 10-15 acre tracts and was gone in 6 months, most of it not that great of a deal. Local TSC stores and such are having a field day.
 
I agree with Texasmark1.

Today, many people work from home. So they can buy their 10-15 acre piece of heaven that's been chopped off a farm an hour or more away from a big city and only have to get into their car to go shopping. In fact, shopping online has gotten so easy, just have UPS drop it off on your doorstep.
 

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