ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Last week marked the 2025 Five State Fair festivities, meaning people in the area had the opportunity to take in multiple forms of entertainment including concerts and 4-H events.
As Five State Fair Board member Erin Atchley tells it, there were many positives about this year’s fair festivities.
“Overall, we felt everything went really well. We knew we weren’t going to make grand, sweeping changes overnight, especially with the timeframe we had, but we had a lot of positive feedback from the community and had multiple people tell us they could tell a difference with this year’s fair,” Atchley said. “For us, that means we’re going in a positive direction, which is really important. There are always things that can go smoother when you’re putting on an event like this, so we spent that week taking notes about different aspects, whether it was the need for more communication or tightening up on some logistical details. There are definitely some areas we can improve on for next year, and we’re definitely keeping the community’s feedback in mind as we talk about all of that.”
To help make that happen, Atchley said there was a lot of collaboration behind the scenes.
“Something that stood out to me was how we had a bunch of different groups and entities come together and work together on this year’s fair, including KSCB-The Legend with its home show, Food Truck Saturdays, and the K-State Research and Extension office, among others,” Atchley said. “I really enjoyed seeing all the different groups working together, and I think that’s what it will take to make future fairs extra successful and bring some of that positive energy back.”
Atchley added it was great seeing all the different entertainment options available.
“I also loved seeing all the different 4-H activities and shows – I didn’t actually grow up doing that stuff, so it’s great seeing these children and the projects they’ve spent multiple months preparing. Those children are so talented, and it was amazing seeing all the hard work they’d done, whether it was with one of the livestock shows or the arts and crafts projects in the Ag Building. It’s great seeing all the different local talent we have,” Atchley said. “I also enjoyed all the entertainment, and my favorite concert was probably the Gospel Songfest because it was great seeing everyone come together in fellowship in one spot. Saturday was huge for us as a board, and there was literally something for everyone that day.”
With this being the first year on the board for many of the Fair Board members, Atchley said she felt the fair came together very well.
“With so many of us being first-timers on the board, we were really pleased with how the fair turned out this year. Like I said, we knew we wouldn’t be able to just snap our fingers and make massive changes overnight, especially with our timeframe. But hearing that feedback from people and having them tell us they could feel and tell a positive difference with this year’s fair, that means so much to us and means we’re starting a move in the right direction,” Atchley said. “We had people tell us ‘Good job with the fair this year’ and ‘Congrats on a big step forward’ and ‘Keep up with the great work.’ We particularly had a lot of positive feedback about the concerts, a lot of people enjoyed them. We did hear some frustration about not having a demolition derby and not having a carnival, but I want to assure everyone, we hear you, and we are working on making those happen in the future. But there was truly an outpouring of positive feedback that definitely outweighed the more negative-leaning comments.”
And even though this year’s fair has only just wrapped up, Atchley said there is work to still be done and plans to make.
“We cleaned up at the fairgrounds Sunday night and were already texting some ideas back and forth Monday morning, so there’s not really any break time for us. Our next meeting will be later this month, so we’ll be diving right into it all,” Atchley said with a chuckle. “We’ve got several great go-getters on the board who work really hard, and we’re really going for it for next year. We’ve been talking about different resources we could tap into like different grants and things like that, and we know it’s important to start some of the planning early so we can really make the fair successful. Having a full year to plan for the 2026 fair, compared to the few months we had for the 2025 fair, I think that will make a huge difference, and that’s what we’re really excited about. We were able to put this year’s fair together in only three or four months, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do with a full year of planning. We are already having conversations about building relationships with bigger carnivals so we can get one back as part of the fair here in the next few years, we are definitely not giving up on that. We’ve also heard some people say they want a demolition derby for next year – we also wanted that for this year, but it ultimately ended up not coming through, so we’re definitely going to look into making that happen with next year’s fair. We also plan on putting out a poll through our Five State Free Fair Facebook page soon, so I would encourage people to participate in that and let us know what kinds of events they would like to see as part of the fair. This is the community’s fair, so we definitely want to hear from as many people as possible.”
Overall, Atchley said, the 2025 edition of the Five State Fair was a success.
“I can’t say thank you enough to our sponsors, because they really helped carry us through this year, and I also want to thank all of our volunteers, the Seward County Commission, the fairground workers, and everyone else who helped put this year’s fair on in any way,” Atchley said. “Most of all, however, I have to thank the community – they’re the reason we’re here and why we do what we do, because this is truly their fair. If anyone wants to be part of the board, they can contact the Five State Free Fair Facebook page or call the county administration office for an application form. We have a meeting scheduled for later this month, and if anyone wants to attend, they are more than welcome to do so. We’re always looking for volunteers and new board members, and I can’t wait to see what we can do for next year.”
