A tale of two county fairs
Aug. 17th, 2005 04:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
altivoWe've been to two county fairs here in the last two weekends. Midwesterners at least will have some idea of what a county fair is, or what I think it should be. Those who live in other areas may not know. A county fair is, or at least started out as, a sort of harvest festival-holiday for farmers and their families and an opportunity for them to promote their agricultural products by exhibiting them and competing against each other in judged competitions.
Things that are a historic part of such fairs:
Things that have crept into such fairs over the years:
I measure both the viability of a county fair and my interest level in the said fair by the proportion of the first group to the second. When the second group exceeds the first, the fair is dying. When the first group makes up less than a quarter of the area and activities, the fair is no longer worthy of its name.
We live near the boundary between McHenry County and Boone County in Illinois. McHenry was once an agricultural gem, with fine rich soil and high yields, and one of the heaviest concentrations of dairy production in the midwest. In the Great Depression, it lost its county fair. There wasn't enough money to run it and nowhere to hold it. The fair was revived after World War 2 and in the 50s and 60s was a classic county fair, held in the county seat at Woodstock. But something bad has happened to McHenry County. The growth (sprawl) of Chicago suburbs has begun to eat it up. More than half of the county's farmland has been turned into subdivisions with tiny plots mostly occupied by house and huge three car garages. Farmers have given up the dairy business, and they no longer plant vegetables for human consumption. Instead most grow vast acreages of either corn or soybeans to be used as animal feed (to fatten cattle and pigs for slaughter.) The county fair has shriveled up accordingly. The degeneration has accelerated in recent years. It didn't help that Woodstock, now utterly yuppified, passed a PETA-inspired ordinance forbidding the exhibition of livestock or transportation of livestock for exhibit through the city. The fairgrounds were located partly in and partly outside the city. A special exemption had to be made to allow the high school rodeo to take place, since the grandstand was inside town. As if that wasn't bad enough, part of the fairgrounds was leased, rather than owned by the fair's governing body. The city decided it would rather have a new supermarket where the grandstand was located, and canceled the lease. The fair's governing board, yuppies instead of farmers by this time, dithered and gabbled. They couldn't decide what to do. Eventually they were forced to tear down the grandstand and give up that portion of the land. They moved the midway to the parking lot, created new "parking" in an adjacent cornfield, and put up a temporary grandstand and track for the now-mandatory demolition derby. For three more years they kept dithering about what to do, finally decided to move, then couldn't decide where to go. Obviously, Woodstock didn't want them. So guess where they decided to buy new land? Right outside of Woodstock, naturally, even though several smaller towns that still support agriculture offered proposals. Worse yet, insead of holding out for a good price for the land they own, which is now prime development territory and should be worth almost a billion dollars in my opinion, they agreed to "trade" it outright for the larger parcel just outside town. The developer who made the trade has gotten a real bargain, and the fair authority will now have to rebuild the entire fair, livestock pavilions, grandstands, track, etc. on a completely undeveloped piece of land and with no funds beyond what they may have in their accounts at the moment. Not good, not wise.
So how was the McHenry County Fair this year? In a word, pitiful. Half as many exhibits as in past years, fewer animals, and in some cases the exhibits are dwindling to nothing. The preserves (pickles, jams, jellies, etc.) all fit into a small shelf space about three feet high and three feet wide. The quilts, that used to occupy hundreds of square feet of wall space, were down to a handful of entries. The pitifully small horse show was held so far away from the rest of the fair that it probably had no audience. The number of booths filled by politicians, Bible-thumpers, and hucksters of dubious products seemed to have doubled though. There was still a midway with overpriced rides, and of course a big name singer on Friday night and a demolition derby on Sunday afternoon. There were crowds of people coming in the gates, paying six dollars for admission, pushing baby strollers in many cases. But there was no longer a fair there. These suburban teens and young parents were not learning anything about farm life or where food comes from. They weren't even getting a taste of what agriculture is about. All they got was cotton candy, shake your stomach rides, opportunities to purchase sleazy sunglasses and other junk, and the forever pointless demolition derby. I declare the McHenry County Fair to be dying, and possibly beyond rescue.
Boone County's fair, about 25 miles west, is still alive and growing. Two years ago they opened a new poultry barn and this year had so many goats exhibited that they needed an additional tent to provide space. Last year they built two new pony barns to accommodate the pony show, which has been growing every year. This left the entire original horse barn, half of which had been occupied by the ponies, to the draft horses. Those behemoths not only filled that barn completely, but took up another large tent. Sure, the politicians and hucksters were present, and they do have a stupid demolition derby on the last day of the fair, but Boone County has a growing fair in a good supportive location, on a fairgrounds owned by the Grange and with more space for expansion. Their exhibits of quilting, sewing, preserving, etc. filled as much or more space than last year. The cows, pigs, sheep, and rabbits each have their own large building and fill it to overflowing. Tractor, truck, and trailer dealers exhibit their wares. How long will it last? I'm not sure. A subdivision on the outskirts of Belvidere now bounds the fairgrounds to the south, but is separated by the Business Route US 20 highway from the fairgrounds itself. On the other three sides there are only farms. I'm betting on the Boone County Fair to survive though. It has been running for more than a century, and is controlled by the Grange, a national fraternal organization for farm families. These are not yuppies, they are people who know what agriculture is about and what current challenges it faces. I don't believe they are likely to sell out the agricultural exhibits to provide more space for commercial ventures or rock stars.
Conclusion: If you plan to attend a county fair in northeast Illinois next year, choose Boone County. You can skip Lake, McHenry, Kane, and DuPage because all have become mere yuppified entertainment.
Things that are a historic part of such fairs:
- Livestock judging, sales, auctions
- Produce judging, sales, auctions
- Home economics exhibits: sewing, baking, preserving, quilting, etc.
- Food sales such as ice cream, drinks, etc.
- Entertainment such as harness racing, tractor pulls, midway rides and exhibits
- Horse show and possibly auction or sale
- Farm equipment displays
Things that have crept into such fairs over the years:
- Politicians promoting themselves
- Charities promoting themselves
- Churches promoting themselves
- Big name acts such as rock groups or country singers
- Drag racing, Demolition derby, other automotive stuff
- Lawn mower races and other absurdities
- Commercial sales of home improvements, pots and pans, etc.
- Chiropractors, massage therapists, and other fringe therapies
- Political action groups: animal rights, hunter's rights, anti-abortion, right-to-life, etc.
I measure both the viability of a county fair and my interest level in the said fair by the proportion of the first group to the second. When the second group exceeds the first, the fair is dying. When the first group makes up less than a quarter of the area and activities, the fair is no longer worthy of its name.
We live near the boundary between McHenry County and Boone County in Illinois. McHenry was once an agricultural gem, with fine rich soil and high yields, and one of the heaviest concentrations of dairy production in the midwest. In the Great Depression, it lost its county fair. There wasn't enough money to run it and nowhere to hold it. The fair was revived after World War 2 and in the 50s and 60s was a classic county fair, held in the county seat at Woodstock. But something bad has happened to McHenry County. The growth (sprawl) of Chicago suburbs has begun to eat it up. More than half of the county's farmland has been turned into subdivisions with tiny plots mostly occupied by house and huge three car garages. Farmers have given up the dairy business, and they no longer plant vegetables for human consumption. Instead most grow vast acreages of either corn or soybeans to be used as animal feed (to fatten cattle and pigs for slaughter.) The county fair has shriveled up accordingly. The degeneration has accelerated in recent years. It didn't help that Woodstock, now utterly yuppified, passed a PETA-inspired ordinance forbidding the exhibition of livestock or transportation of livestock for exhibit through the city. The fairgrounds were located partly in and partly outside the city. A special exemption had to be made to allow the high school rodeo to take place, since the grandstand was inside town. As if that wasn't bad enough, part of the fairgrounds was leased, rather than owned by the fair's governing body. The city decided it would rather have a new supermarket where the grandstand was located, and canceled the lease. The fair's governing board, yuppies instead of farmers by this time, dithered and gabbled. They couldn't decide what to do. Eventually they were forced to tear down the grandstand and give up that portion of the land. They moved the midway to the parking lot, created new "parking" in an adjacent cornfield, and put up a temporary grandstand and track for the now-mandatory demolition derby. For three more years they kept dithering about what to do, finally decided to move, then couldn't decide where to go. Obviously, Woodstock didn't want them. So guess where they decided to buy new land? Right outside of Woodstock, naturally, even though several smaller towns that still support agriculture offered proposals. Worse yet, insead of holding out for a good price for the land they own, which is now prime development territory and should be worth almost a billion dollars in my opinion, they agreed to "trade" it outright for the larger parcel just outside town. The developer who made the trade has gotten a real bargain, and the fair authority will now have to rebuild the entire fair, livestock pavilions, grandstands, track, etc. on a completely undeveloped piece of land and with no funds beyond what they may have in their accounts at the moment. Not good, not wise.
So how was the McHenry County Fair this year? In a word, pitiful. Half as many exhibits as in past years, fewer animals, and in some cases the exhibits are dwindling to nothing. The preserves (pickles, jams, jellies, etc.) all fit into a small shelf space about three feet high and three feet wide. The quilts, that used to occupy hundreds of square feet of wall space, were down to a handful of entries. The pitifully small horse show was held so far away from the rest of the fair that it probably had no audience. The number of booths filled by politicians, Bible-thumpers, and hucksters of dubious products seemed to have doubled though. There was still a midway with overpriced rides, and of course a big name singer on Friday night and a demolition derby on Sunday afternoon. There were crowds of people coming in the gates, paying six dollars for admission, pushing baby strollers in many cases. But there was no longer a fair there. These suburban teens and young parents were not learning anything about farm life or where food comes from. They weren't even getting a taste of what agriculture is about. All they got was cotton candy, shake your stomach rides, opportunities to purchase sleazy sunglasses and other junk, and the forever pointless demolition derby. I declare the McHenry County Fair to be dying, and possibly beyond rescue.
Boone County's fair, about 25 miles west, is still alive and growing. Two years ago they opened a new poultry barn and this year had so many goats exhibited that they needed an additional tent to provide space. Last year they built two new pony barns to accommodate the pony show, which has been growing every year. This left the entire original horse barn, half of which had been occupied by the ponies, to the draft horses. Those behemoths not only filled that barn completely, but took up another large tent. Sure, the politicians and hucksters were present, and they do have a stupid demolition derby on the last day of the fair, but Boone County has a growing fair in a good supportive location, on a fairgrounds owned by the Grange and with more space for expansion. Their exhibits of quilting, sewing, preserving, etc. filled as much or more space than last year. The cows, pigs, sheep, and rabbits each have their own large building and fill it to overflowing. Tractor, truck, and trailer dealers exhibit their wares. How long will it last? I'm not sure. A subdivision on the outskirts of Belvidere now bounds the fairgrounds to the south, but is separated by the Business Route US 20 highway from the fairgrounds itself. On the other three sides there are only farms. I'm betting on the Boone County Fair to survive though. It has been running for more than a century, and is controlled by the Grange, a national fraternal organization for farm families. These are not yuppies, they are people who know what agriculture is about and what current challenges it faces. I don't believe they are likely to sell out the agricultural exhibits to provide more space for commercial ventures or rock stars.
Conclusion: If you plan to attend a county fair in northeast Illinois next year, choose Boone County. You can skip Lake, McHenry, Kane, and DuPage because all have become mere yuppified entertainment.
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no subject
Date: 2005-08-17 03:54 pm (UTC)I'm glad to hear Boone County's fair is still going strong, though. May it continue to do so.
The Michigan State Fair is going on through this weekend (they moved it up two weeks because there were too many things going on Labor Day Weekend in metro Detroit). It's been a few years since I was there last. Being a state fair, there were big animal and produce exhibits, but then you factor in the carnival and the demolition derby and the concerts ... yeah, it has gone downhill too. But given its location -- Eight Mile and Woodward, which hasn't been "out in the country" in decades -- I'm amazed they get any agricultural interests there.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-17 08:46 pm (UTC)Wisconsin has a similar fair in Milwaukee, but theirs is quite early in the summer so doesn't have the county fair run-off effect. I've been there a couple of times. Illinois has one going this week in Springfield, but I've never been so can't comment on it.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-17 09:22 pm (UTC)The horses are still a real popular attraction at the Michigan State Fair, giant draft horses and the mounted police especially. That is undoubtedly a good thing.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-18 04:06 am (UTC)Yes, I always liked the Detroit Police mounted drill team when they were there, but even better was one time that they had the RCMP. Fantastic. And there's that huge pony hitch with the miniature fire engine, too. I seem to recall that it was 16 ponies at once, and they did some amazingly tricky maneuvers.
But the thing I enjoyed most at the MSF horse show was the costume classes. The ones where the riders and horses are dressed in different periods or fantasy categories. People really put effort into them, and they still had to show they could put the horse through its usual paces while dressed up that way. Ladies in side saddles and long dresses, men dressed as trappers, Arabian warriors, mounted knights. Really fun.
no subject
Date: 2005-08-17 04:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-08-17 08:38 pm (UTC)One other county fair worthy of note in our area is the Sandwich Fair, which will have its 118th annual run from September 7-11 in Sandwich, Illinois (DeKalb County). Very big, very crowded, with all the things I dislike but also has most of the things I do like. It lacks rabbits and horses, but does have a live steam train you can ride and a display of working "hit or miss" gasoline farm engines (they used to be built there in Sandwich.) Home economics and garden produce displays are especially large. The midway is gigantic, if you like such things.
Lawnmower races aren't put on by or for farmers. They are a suburban dweller's thing. The farmers have tractor pulls, tractor races, and something I find much more impressive, tractor skill competitions with challenges designed to test one's ability to control a tractor very delicately.
I'm sorry, but....
Date: 2005-08-18 01:23 am (UTC)Lawn mower races and other absurdities
LOL !!!
no subject
Date: 2005-08-19 11:20 pm (UTC)The other two county fairs I went to (hey, I'm getting old, gotta
check up on 4H. XD ) had much more of Ag stuff.
Now the /State/ Fair...well thats different.