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Bus Driver
06-22-2004 05:03:01
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Yes, this gets close to being a political post, but government here has killed the tractor show. Here we have counties as divisions, some counties have cities and occasionally a city will be in more than one county. Club I once belonged to had good show that grew each year. I let my membership lapse due to lack of time to devote to the club. We had the show in one county, adjacent to the one in which I live. When the club needed to expand the show area, it was discovered that the zoning never permitted the show at all. County commissioners, one of whom is a farmer, refused to change the zoning. Horse shows OK, tractor shows not. So the club moved the show to the county where I live, West of the original location. Most of the roads to the new site are winding and only 18 feet wide, just 9 feet per lane. Attendance and exhibits dropped sharply. After 3 years, the club went to a third county, North of the original location. Location within the city limits of small "city". Arrangements for the new location in the works for a year. Town officials present at the meetings, etc. Two weeks before the show (all ads, show books, mailings, tickets, etc. all done) the mayor says that each vendor at the show must pay $75.00 fee. Club says OK, they will pay. Then chief of police says must pay for 4 off-duty officers of his dept to be on duty at all times, 24 hours per day for the duration of the show, $30.00 per officer per hour, $120.00 per hour total. That canceled the show, not sure if they will ever have another. They refunded ad money, etc. Big loss. Probably someone here will recognize the exact situation I have described and be familiar with the show and club involved. Government is not, and does not have, the solution to our problems. More likely, the problem IS the government. Be sure to vote this year.
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