Hamilton County Fair (Wayne: living in, cost, buses)

[nightrider127]

Originally Posted by Valley Cat

Just found this forum while doing a search for Hamilton County OH Farmers Markets. Recognize a few posters - we must travel in similar circles!

There will be a Farmers Market in 2009. It will start the second Thursday of May and last throughout October. It's not just for produce - plants, gardening supplies, flowers - vendors can sell these and more. The Market's website is About.

Mike

Hi VC. Bout time you showed up.

[Valley Cat]

Dates, not locations. It will run from Tuesday, August 11 through Saturday, August 15, 2009. It will also start later every day except Saturday. M-F, the fair opens at 4:00. Saturday, it starts at 11 am.

Look for way more and much better rides and concessions this year.

Mike

[CincyStrat]

I would love to hear Wayward Son play at the fair. One of the members grew up at the fair. Infact he spent his honeymood there. They are a classic rock band with high power instrumentals and vocals. Check out waywardsonrocks.com. That would be so cool if they could play the fair.

[Valley Cat]

Long post... but it's about the changes coming to the fair.

Last year, both during and after the 153rd Hamilton County Fair, officials, visitors and pundits alike had one common opinion - the fair has to change if it is to survive. Well, the verdict as to whether the 154th fair is a success or not won’t be known for a couple of weeks, but it is a fact changes have been made, in every area. And of course, all of the great things about the fair return.
Three huge differences from last year will be seen the very first day. To start, the fair is moving to the middle of August instead of the first week of the month. Likewise, Opening Day and the days the fair will be held have changed. This year, it will start on Tuesday, August 11 and run through Saturday, August 15.
An event of this size is worthy of an Opening Parade and thanks to the Herculean efforts of Diane Jones, there will be one. It will start at 3:00 pm at the Carthage School on Fairpark Ave. in Carthage and move up to the grounds where Opening Ceremonies will be held. If you belong to a group that would like to be a part of the entourage, please contact Diane Jones at djones175@cinci.rr.com. You are also welcome to line the route and see the displays, including Quackers and Rufus the Reading (as in library, not city!) dog.
Once you step inside the grounds, you will see another big change - lots, lots more rides. Kissel Amusements, a very professional group that plays other fairs will have nearly 20 different rides, something for almost every age group, including an upside-down roller coaster. And if you walk around, you will see another project Diane not only has taken on but has been very successful at - garden clubs throughout the county have adopted areas and planted flowers. The land between Vine and Anthony Wayne has not looked so colorful in years and years.
The hours of the fair have also been changed. Rather than running from 11 am until closing, this year the fair will open its gates at 3 pm daily except Saturday when it starts at 11. Rides will start at 5 pm and run throughout the entire evening. On Saturday, they start at 1:00.
For several years, people have been hoping for a Tractor/Truck Pull as part of the Grandstand Entertainment. Thanks to the efforts of Darryll Belcher, the fair will have one this year - on Opening Day. Brian Neal of Georgetown, OH will bring his sled that will challenge monster vehicles to see which one can drag it the furthest. If you live in Hartwell or Carthage - you will hear the noise of the engines. You and your children do not want to miss the return of a long-time fair staple.
Once again, when it comes to the Show Wagon, Steve Doan has outdone himself. Working with a smaller budget he has still snagged some great bands to provide entertainment - and he is still booking more acts. Here is a partial list of groups:
Class Dismissed, Dangerous 4, Blues Merchants, Square Dance Federation, The Addams Family, Hot Rod and the Fast Lane, The Hip Replacements, Chris Runnels Band, The Brothers Sanchez and the closing act of the fair - Robin Lacy and DeZydeco. More will be added and posted on the web site: hamiltoncountyfair.com.
Something else that will be worth visiting is an area dedicated to “Going Green.” Jennifer McWhorter has been working for months to attract displays and information related to environmentally friendly habits. You don’t have to be a disciple of Al Gore or a Tree Hugger to see simple, everyday ways you can help stop damage to our planet as well as conserve energy.
Not everything will change, though. You and your children can see live farm animals and pet them, milk a cow, enter everything from Apple Preserves to Zinnias and perhaps claim a ribbon and win some money. The fair has over 950 different categories, several for children and teens, with over $9,000 in prize money available.
It is also still the best entertainment value for your hard earned money. Admission is only $8.00, per person, which includes rides. Parking is only $4.00. A family of four can drive in, park and ride passes all day for only $36. Seniors are admitted for free with a Golden Buckeye Card. Compare that with other venues in the area, such as Kings Island, the Zoo or the Reds. A beer doesn’t cost $6.00 or a soft drink $4.00.
For 156 years (the fair was not held two years during WWII), the Hamilton County Fair has been a place you can take your family, have a great time and not break the bank or empty your wallet. This year it will be even better!

Mike

[tntnb]

There used to be a forum on the Hamilton County Fair site -- is it gone?

Also, if the webmaster of the fair site sees this, the home page has a headline in blue reading

It’s Is Stimulating!!!

It should, of course, read:

It [delete the apostrophe s] Is Stimulating!!!

I peeked into the fairgrounds last night and thought things looked pretty good. Planning to take the family later this week.

[Valley Cat]

Yeah, I saw that and almost puked. One should not try to accomplish 26 hours of work in a 24 hour day. I fixed it.

I also took the forum down - I got tired of all the negativity. I don't work for the fair, am not a director. But I care about it and know how darn hard many people have been working to make this fair the best in years. I hosted the forum on my site, not the fair's server, so it was my call, and mine alone (meaning no pressure from the fair board members was applied).

But as long as I have the space in this message, I need to rant. The daily paper did one really crappy job - the commishes and their task force didn't do squat to make this fair better. Another fine example of a group that keeps minutes, looks for seconds and wastes hours.

Today was very special and no media was there to cover it. In previous years, the fair let children in for free, but they had to buy ride tickets ($8). Not this year. The fair invited every group they could find that takes care of children to come to the fair - free admission which INCLUDED free rides. I was there, I heard kids who were from 2-10 years old exclaim how they were so happy they got to ride for free. Not only that, but a lady from New Orleans brought a pony she rescued after Hurricane Katrina. Not that Molly was special for this alone, but Molly also lost a leg after being attacked by a dog. She not only survived but learned to walk on three legs. Kaye worked and worked and finally found a doctor who would give Molly a prosthetic leg. Kaye and Lisa led Molly and her companion, Queenie, around the grounds, allowing kids to pet the ponies and hear their story.

One thousand, eight hundred children and their chaperons had a great time today. Seeing a girl from Ronald McDonald house, who has disabilities of her own, pet Molly and Queenie - that's priceless. And the so-called Task Force had absolutely nothing to do with any of this.

OK, stepping off my soap box!

Mike

[Hartwell Girl]

Although I think this years Fair is better, I do feel the Task Force brought a lot to this years Fair. Sorry that you dont feel that way Mike.

[Valley Cat]

What did they bring? The parade? A new and much better ride company? More veggie entries? Better (though not as many) bands? Free rides for children on Wednesday? More than the minimum required funding? Billboards? Posters?

I was surprised in that several people thought the fair was canceled, that the county (Commissioners) was selling the grounds.

Too bad the task force didn't recommend installing a HVAC system in one of the buildings as well as a way to finance it. That would allow the building to be rented over 100 times a year and bring in thousands of dollars in revenue.

Mike

[Hartwell Girl]

Okay, so the Fair Board looked into a new ride company, but the Task Force did make recommendations to advertise more, make additional contacts & partnerships, and helped with contacts to those groups. A lot of work was done by this group of volunteers who cared enough to get involved and meet monthly and then present their findings to the Commissioners. That alone should at least given some respect. The billboards were looked into by the Fair Board because the contracts were old and needed updated, that was discussed at the Task Force meeting. The Posters, highly recommended by the Task Force to bring back the history of the Fair and make them available for sale as a way to make money for the Fair. Advertising and getting the word out about this Fair in any and every way possible was a recommendation from the Task Force.

For anyone who thought the Fair could be cancelled was NOT due to the efforts of the Task Force --that was from news stories and information from the past 2 years Fair.

As far as the buildings, there are recommendations for those buildings and looking into ways to cover those costs. Information was requested for the repair costs/and additions items needed and the costs of building new barns.

The free day, ask who had an all out fit because the Fair was not going to open until the afternoon and all the kids who come during the Free day with their summer camp groups would then be left out...yes, that was me. I also called all the CRC groups to make sure they were registered so they wouldnt miss out when they first mentioned not opening the gates until late afternoon. They werent going to have a free day. I continued to get phone calls up until last week asking how and where to register.

I was at every single Task Force meeting..not everyone who was on that Task Force can say the same thing. I know what was & what was not discussed at those meetings & I have no reason to state otherwise. At the presentation to the Commissioners, I stated that all the work for this years Fair was done by the Fair Board, the Task Force did not want any credit for the success of this years Fair because ultimately the group can make recommedations, but it was up to the Fair Board if they wanted to pursue them.

You know me well enough to know if you have questions about the Task Force to ask me. I have no reason to lie or bend the facts. I want the Fair to be successful, and think it can with continued help from everyone.

[Valley Cat]

Of course I know you and know you tell the truth. But I also know that in the past the children - and they did not have to belong to a day camp to get in free had to pay if they wanted to ride anything. Not this year. And I know Colleen and her volunteers sent out dozens and dozens of letters in an attempt to reach every group the fair could. Not to mention, groups were still registering Tuesday to bring their children.

Sure, the task force came up with several suggestions - suggestions that have been made every year. Get more groups involved, contact more companies for sponsorships, advertise more, etc., etc., etc.

From the Premium Guide: Planning for this year’s annual event did not start after last year’s ended - it started before that. Officials realized that times have changed and that in order to not just survive but become the attraction it once was, the fair needed to change also. Though alterations have been made in almost every facet, the areas fairgoers will notice most are the quantity and quality of the rides and games, the number and variety of displays and the Grandstand Entertainment...

In addition, the fair started recruiting volunteers and asking for suggestions on improving the event way before the task force even thought about meeting. By August 13 of last year, over 160 people had replied.

I'm not denying the task force made suggestions nor denying some suggestions they made were not implemented. But it was not a cause and effect situation, the suggestions were in the process of being implemented before the task suggested them.

Mike