L&T Publisher Earl Watt
Growing up, the Midway was my favorite part of the Five State Free Fair. The Exhibit building was connected to the Ag Building, and after perusing those earlier in the day, we would go outside to the Midway with all the rides, food and entertainment that made the Fair, well, the Fair.
There was also the three big nights of racing, a demolition derby and a host of other events that brought out crowds in droves.
We remember with rose colored glasses those days, and they truly were core memories of what makes a fair a fair.
But much has changed since then.
Back then, county commissioners worked the track with implements and watering trucks. Other volunteers helped prep other areas, and promoters were eager to put together a three-night show.
I doubt regulations would allow commissioners to do what they did back then, and insuring races certainly hasn’t decreased.
Promoters just can’t make money with the escalating costs of facilities and overhead.
Modifications made at the Fairground make it impossible to host races now with the most important being the removal of the barricaded fencing that separated the crowd from the vehicles. There’s no way races will be returning to Seward County anytime soon, if ever.
That’s not the fault or responsibility of the Seward County Fair Board.
And depending on what version of why we lost the carnival you choose to accept as truth, the fact is we don’t have a carnival and haven’t had for a few years now.
Even when we did, the location was moved away from the Midway and behind the Activity Center. Out of sight, out of mind, perhaps, but for whatever the rules were, it was moved.
This also is not the fault of the current Fair Board.
Most of these people are brand new. The group of 15 was down to only two before a recent effort to try and restore the Fair Board and keep the event alive.
I’m not on the Fair Board, but I did some research believing it shouldn’t be too hard to find a carnival.
I was wrong.
The number of carnivals in the United States has dramatically decreased in the past 20 years. And most recently, labor shortages, regulations and inflation have forced several more out. Those that remain have had to increase prices to keep their heads above water.
It’s been a few years since I’ve been on a carnival ride, but I do look forward to the candy apples and funnel cakes.
But I won’t be getting one of those any time soon during the Five State Fair.
Carnivals that are still touring are booked up for years to come, some as far out as 2032.
Again, not the fault of our newest volunteers who are feverishly working to put together the August event.
So why are we talking about the Fair now?
Because these volunteers need our help, not our criticism. They need understanding, not complaints.
I understand why so many have quit the fair boards in recent years. They get hammered online and in public for something they can’t control.
Like me, we each have a memory of a fair. But the facts are the fair will have to be something different moving forward.
That doesn’t have to mean lesser. Just different.
This new Fair Board wants to provide something good. They want to entertain the public and provide a unique experience to the next generation.
And they will have to be creative in how they do that.
I have no doubt the countless hours of research, prep, set-up and meeting will be well spent, and whatever activities they provide will be better than the alternative, which would be no fair at all.
This event is more than 100 years old, and we need to share with the Fair Board any ideas we may have that would be helpful in meeting the goal of providing a unique High Plains experience.
There will be no need to complain about there not being a carnival. There won’t be. Not this year, not next year, and probably not the year after that.
Eventually, a carnival may be able to fit us back on the schedule when demand is at its highest.
But that won’t be happening anytime soon.
For now, let’s support our Fair Board and the effort they are putting in now to provide the best show they can. They are good people getting paid zilch, so let’s be supportive.
