Another Country Fair Rant

No pictures here, just observations:

THINGS I LIKE

How fairs are AGELESS, its one of a few places where kids and teens and young and "seasoned" adults ALL GO.

Its a place where you run into all sorts of friends, some of which you may not see elsewhere.

THINGS I DONT LIKE

Years back it was local country musicians who knew every farmer and country person, they were NOT professionals but local farmers or blue collar or even professional working people WHO PLAYED OLD FASHION COUNTRY MUSIC EACH NIGHT ON THE FREE STAGE NEAR THE ANTIQUE TRACTOR AND PIONEER AREA (One local well loved couple played there 60 years) AND THE HUGE CROWDS LOVED IT....BUTTTTTT the all wise and all knowing fair boards throw the local peasants under the bus and hire KARAOKE set ups and screaming shouting loud mouth young obnoxious "performers" ALTHOUGH A TEEN WOULDNT BE CAUGHT DEAD IN THE OLD FOLKS OR PIONEER AREA and now NO ONE GOES. Nice move there yuppie fair boards

Years back us local farmers had a tractor pull where we drug our old tractors straight out of the field n pulled them. We had more fun and good spirited "feuds" lol Again the all wise and all knowing city folk fair boards threw all of us under the bus in favor of hot rods and loud pulling trucks n tractors. Oh well


THINGS I GET A KICK OUT OF

You can ALWAYS spot Realtors and Attorneys and Insurance Salesmen A MILE AWAY. They're the ones with brand spankin new blue jeans, maybe even cowboy lookin boots, not a speck of dirt anywhere, maybe even have a piece of straw in their mouth, looking down and walking VERY CAREFULLY in the cattle barn to avoid stepping in you know what, BUT TRYING TO LOOK AND ACT LIKE ORDINARY COUNTRY FOLK........GIVE ME A BREAK LOL you look so freakin phony, youre city yuppies drivin a Volvo or Audi NOT farmers lol


Yeah I know, take action, join the board, let em know blah blah blah....been there told em but they dont listen to meeeeeeeee grrrrrrrr

Nuff said, goes to prove I'm indeed a grouchy old fashioned Christian Conservative Fuddy Duddy and the world has long passed me by butttttttt like the old dude in the Jimmy Buffett song

"....Writing his memoirs, loosin his hearing, but he dont care what most people say...."

Ol John T

Ain't been to a county fair since 1968.

Not for nothing, JohnT, but you gotta keep in mind that the fair is not just for you, it's for everyone.

If something has become generally unpopular it will be switched out for something else.

I'm sure a lot of it has to do with attracting a younger crowd. The old folks are getting farther and fewer between.

Of course the music deal you're specifically complaining about may just be because the performers died off and no young people have come along to take their place.

Then again your parents probably said the same thing about the fair 40 years ago, right? That new-fangled loud obnoxious country music stuff... It used to be a quiet civilized affair!

Things change. We don't always have to be happy about it, but they do change.

Our county fair has gone downhill also. That is because they decided to cater to the ever dwindling group of old time locals. They still have the old free bandstand,but it is in the afternoon not the evening,as is the draft horse and most of the other equesterian events. 4H barn is smaller because the number of entries is way down.
We have very few small farmers in the county,5 or 6 BTO that dominate,a smattering of niche farmers. The vast majority of our small farmers are Amish or Mennonites, their only use for the fair is to hawk their wares.
Fair has a six day run, only crowded days are kids night on the midway, and the Saturday night Demolition derby, which is a hotly contested very popular local affair.

"Things change. We don't always have to be happy about it, but they do change"

EXACTLY Told ya I was an old fuddy duddy and youre right, Im NOT happy about it lol

Take care now

John T

I have pretty much given in to the fact that the world I lived in and loved about 35 or so years ago is gone and will never come back!! So it's either sit home or go see how the younger folks live, I seen my folks go through the same thing. just have to keep an open mind about everything I guess.

A fair is entetainment that has to draw a crowd thats wants to spend $$$ to be able to pay expenses.Not many people will pay much to see old
stock tractors pull a sled but will plop down big $$$ to watch the hot ones.Young folks spend a lot more $$$ at places like that than old folks like you and me so they need to attract the young crowd.Simple economics really

I grew up never going to the county fair. Seemed like something for people to do that had a lot of time on their hands. That and to go each kid was going to want at least a little money and with 9 to 12 kids that "little bit" of money turned into a pile real quick - a pile that my dad would rather leave in his pocket. Lot cheaper to just work late and forget it was even going on.

Only started going lately because the kids are in 4H and it pretty much confirmed what I thought growing up.

So what instrument do you play?

To get a bunch of old farmers up playing musical instruments and form a band first you have to find the old farmers that are talented enough and have the time and are willing to give it. That combination isn't available for free that much any more.

Our church has run into the same thing. People want someone good to sing and play the organ at every service and they want it done for free and complain when some volunteer isn't up to the standard they have set. But it never occures to them to volunteer their own time and talent - just stand back and b***h about the people that are doing it.

I used to go to my local fair when i bought my place.
I felt me and my family was never realy accepted in the community cause i had the feeling i was looked at as a intruder by the oldtimers and few peple wanted to enter a conversation.
The same neighbors that were coming to my yard to get their equipment fixed would ignore me completely at the fair so i quit going, i quit fixing for the pricks as well.

After living 20 years in this community my place is still referred to as the PO Tom .... old place.(i been living on this farm longer than he ever did :roll: )

You are so right "But it never occures to them to volunteer their own time and talent - just stand back and b***h about the people that are doing it."

The groups I mentioned all did it for free, glad to do it, and enjoyed every minute as did the crowd.......


"So what instrument do you play?"

The 5 String Banjo

When the local yet still quite accomplished mnusicians (NOT me Im just a Novice) played at the Pioneer area (where middle age and seniors hang out) there were HUGE crowds, the folks really enjoyed it, big nightly attraction. Now that they have loud screaming screaming shouting rock or hip hop or whatever they call it lol the middle aged and old folks stay away BUT THE KIDS DONT GO THERE EITHER as the Pioneer and Antique Tractor and Ag exhibits arent "cool" for them to be seen.

Oh well, to each their own, the fair board made their decision and now NO ONE HARDLY GOES THERE. Thats progress I guess lol

Fun chat yall

John T
Untitled URL Link

What keeps the fair going is drawing in the crowds. the board tries to put up the most popular shows to draw in the most people. Even the old threashermen's reunion in Iowa brings in big name entertainment.

I havent been there but plan to attend. I got no problem with "big name entertainment" what I was talking about was "little name entertainemnt" lol strictly amateur screaming loud yelling hip hop and rock just doesnt go well in the middle age and senior portions of the fair grounds. Our Lions Club booth is close by and allllllllll we hear are complaints, we tell them WE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, go tell the fair board big shots not us

Fun chat, hope to make it to that show sometime

John T

There simply isn't that many farmers anymore. A few bto's farm the whole county and then some. One guy is farming over 12K acres. And the folks that are farming are probably listening to their ipods in the cab of the tractor or combine. I was just talking to some friends about this, our lodge, and other groups, simply don't have the volunteers anymore. A lot of events have been cut back or eliminated as a result. A lot of it that it takes 2 incomes to support a family now, and very few small farms left, the ones that survive are doing organic or specialty crops. Little guys can't do corn and beans and compete.

AGREE.AGREE,AGREE.