ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
August is nearly around the corner, which means it is almost time for the annual Five-State Fair.
The 2024 Five-State Fair will be Aug. 7 through 11, and as Five State Fair Board Treasurer Rosa Conley tells it, there has been a lot of work going on.
“We just finished getting pre-entries from the 4-H members, their deadline was July 15. There will be livestock shows throughout the week for people to keep track of along with all the other activities we'll have going on,” Conley said. “One big question we've been getting from people in the community is whether or not we'll have a carnival, and unfortunately, we will be without a carnival again for this year's fair, and we want the community to understand we've done EVERYTHING we could to try and find a replacement carnival. There were multiple carnival companies that went under after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the companies still in business are booked with prior commitments, and it's very tricky trying to find that window of time that works for everyone. That said, we want everyone to come out and understand the fair's about highlighting the accomplishments of our community and everyone in the Five-State area with the 4-H projects, the Open Class projects and everything else. We want the community to step up and share what they've grown at home and the crafts they do and the baking they've done – all of that can be put in the fair and on display, and there's a chance you could win. Anyone entering an Open Class an enter the day of, that's when we have all of that going. I also encourage everyone to check out fivestatefair.com to see the schedule of events and see what all is going on for this year, and I'd also suggest following the Five State Fair Facebook page, because we will post stuff there too.”
Conley said there will be a lot of fun for people to take in.
“The fair will kick off Aug. 7 with a family night/ice cream social, and that will be full of fun and games, and we'll be again giving away a Nintendo Switch, and everything that evening is free to the public,” Conley said. “Aug. 8, we'll kick off with the dog and hand pet show followed by the free pork burger feed and Quilts of Valor ceremony and then the antique tractor pull. Aug. 9, we'll kick off with the livestock shows and the parade of champions that morning, and then the big event that evening is the first round of the demolition derby and the livestock auction. Aug. 10, we'll kick off with the horse show, then we'll have the Kids' Day and the KSCB Home Show, and that evening is the second round of the demolition derby, and we'll conclude everything Aug. 11 with the second day of the KSCB Home Show. It's definitely set to be a full, fast four days of fun, and we've been planning for the past year. We're really excited, and we really want the community to come out and take part in everything we'll be providing.”
Conley said planning for this year’s fair began shortly after last year’s festivities.
“Based on what we had for last year and what we felt ended up being successful, we knew some changes definitely had to be in order. One of the big changes was turning the Kids' Night into the Family Night, because we did notice last year the entire family was around and having fun, and that's what is really important to us, bringing the entire family together and having a good time,” Conley said. “We decided to revamp that and make it something for the entire family, and we also wanted to make sure it wouldn't be any cost. We also knew we wanted to bring the demolition derby back, people got a real kick out of that last year. Again, we know everyone wanted a carnival, and that was on our list, but circumstances just didn't work out for that to happen this year, and there were a few ideas shared about what could replace the carnival, but the main goal is to provide something fun for the entire community without breaking the bank for area families.”
With that in mind, Conley emphasized the Five State Fair Board is looking for solutions to the carnival issue, adding there are many variables and circumstances to take into account.
“We are in constant communication with multiple carnival companies, and we're watching their schedules to see if there is a time when we can get on their route. Like I said earlier, many of those companies have prior commitments and are booked out sometimes five to seven years in advance, so it's really tough getting an edge in. But we ARE keeping an eye out and hoping circumstances will be favorable to us being part of a carnival company's schedule,” Conley said. “This has been on our mind for a while now, and we are doing everything we can to bring a carnival back as part of the Five-State Fair. I know there have been comments throughout town about what's going on with that, but I want to reassure everyone, we ARE putting forth the effort and we ARE talking to these companies. We also have to keep in mind what the community would want – having a smaller carnival is certainly an option, but is that something the community would like, and is that an option that would go over well? We want there to be a lot of excitement around the fair, and there are a lot of questions being thrown back and forth about what would work for us. And if anyone in the community has any thoughts or suggestions, please share them with us and we'll gladly hear what you have to say, because we do want that community insight when it comes to something like this. And if people do want to share some ideas with us, they can send us a message through our Facebook page, or they can come to a Five State Fair Board meeting, which we have the first Thursday of every month, sometimes more when it gets closer to fair time so those final details can get straightened out.”
Overall, Conley said, she hopes the community will have fun at this year’s fair.
“We're working on a lot of last-minute details, and I feel like everything we'll be providing will allow people to have a great time. We're excited to be able to have the donations and sponsorships for everything so this is free to the public, and that's something else we're really happy about,” Conley said. “I hope, just because there's not a carnival set up, that won't deter people from checking everything else out, whether that's the demolition derby or the 4-H shows or whatever. Like I said, the fair is all about highlighting people's accomplishments, and if you've never walked through the Seward County Ag Building or the Seward County Activity Center to look at some of the projects that get submitted, you're really missing out, because the work put into those projects is just astounding and might even spark an idea for you.”
