Hamilton County Fair (Wilson: houses, purchase, garden)

[tntnb]

OK, my family and I went to the fair tonight, so I thought I'd give a brief report. In short, we had a great time. I was truly impressed. The folks in charge of the fair have done a good job, I think, of bringing it back from the abyss. Lots of families in attendance tonight, great ethnic mix, young and old alike. Cool, fun vibe in the air -- the rides were really quite good (several were deliciously scary), the smell of BBQ in the air was nice, and the entertainment was fun. The grounds looked superb -- obviously cleaned up, and what a wonderful sight to see all the colorful flowers throughout the fairgrounds.

It just FELT like a fair this year, in a way it hasn't for some time.

It looks as if there might have been a few more entries in the exhibitor's building this year -- certainly, there seemed to be more vegetable and flower entries than the past couple of years. Still not as many food entries as you'd expect to see at a county fair, but give it time as folks start to rediscover the event. The grandstand was pretty full for the "tough truck" competition, and the music we heard sounded great. The band playing at the 7:00 hour put on one heck of a show, really energetic.

I'm not saying "mission accomplished." There's still room for improvement, I think. But this was a quantum leap over last year. I'd be astounded if attendance isn't much, much better this year than last. I'll be eagerly awaiting the final head count.

I'd highly recommend a visit on Saturday if you're looking for something to do.

[mike1003]

I grew up in Bond Hill during the 50s and 60s and went to UC while living in Pleasant Ridge and Roselawn.

Spent lots of days and nights at the Fair. Loved the midway..See the two headed cow, alive, alivin and abreathin! Snuck into the Burlesque shows. Enjoyed the Demolition Derby and other shows.

I hope that the Fair can make it into the future for others to enjoy.

[Valley Cat]

tnt,

I agree. There is still room for improvement, as you say. One reason why there probably as not quite as many veggies as I thought there would be was the two-week delay in the fair combined with the record cool and very wet July and early August. I had only one entry in tomatoes, last year I had three or four. No green beans, no cucumbers - they both had run their course for the year.

A major suggestion is to advertise it more but most of those who say this think advertising is free. It's not. Radio ads can cost $100 or more each. But in reality, if the fair's reputation as a first-class event spreads, advertising is not as important - people will know about it and show up. But at the same time, the web site needs to convey more information. Trust me, I am painfully and regretfully aware of this, and I do the web site. But you cannot eat what isn't served on your plate!

Dick Ingle promised this fair would be completely different and it is. It didn't go to hell in a hand basket overnight and it won't return to its heyday overnight either. But this year was a great, giant step forward and makes it easier to build on next year.

Mike

[goyguy]

I stopped by for several hours on Friday and had lotsa fun! Everything was a throwback to forty or so years ago, when fairs and carnivals were a much bigger deal for kids to look forward to and "theme parks" hadn't been invented.
Attendance seemed pretty sparse when I got there around 4:30 in the afternoon. But it picked up steadily, to the point where the lines of both vehicles and pedestrians were stretching down Vine St. Everybody was having fun, especially the kids - who really don't need everything Kings Island throws at them more expensively. There was a nice quantity and variety of rides, some of which were geared toward customers who hadn't been out of diapers long LOL. And the farm animals worked the same magic they always have.
My only sense of letdown was seeing how few people were walking through the exhibit barns; personally, being a transpo geek I could've set aside an entire day just touring the old city buses and checking out the exhibits and photo albums in the "Scenes from Yester-Year (sic)" building. There were rows n' rows of shelves n' shelves of contest entries, yet only a handful of viewers, in the agricultural hall. Although the historical stuff was kinda out of context, it didn't make sense to me that hundreds of visitors could attend a county fair and not pay attention to one of the key elements of what makes a fair a fair.
By far the funnest thing was the Dynamic Professional Wrestling show. Talk about a throwback to the Sixties! It was the same as it ever was, right down to the audience providing some of the best parts of the entertainment.
Am really glad I went, and am hoping for the fair's continued success in the future right where it is.

[Hartwell Girl]

Good to hear the positive feedback from City Data folks.....wanted to puke when I read the Enquirer newspaper yesterday all doom & gloom as usual when it comes to the Fair...but most the people I spoke with in person loved the Fair this year and only complained about the Enquirers negative articles instead. I won 25 ribbons this year, up from last year and there were many more entries this year in the flower displays so I am happy to have done so well.
Again, great feedback from everyone...thank you for posting positives!

[Valley Cat]

goyguy,

I may have a possible solution to getting people to tour the entire fair, not just the rides or animal barns - a Scavenger Hunt. Provide clues such as What is the exhibitor number of the winner who won the largest tomato or What is the theme of Krohn Conservatory's garden? It's not a timed event, nor the first one correct wins but rather all winning entries go into a drawing where the winners' names will be drawn. If we can get a slew of gift certificates as donations (many businesses don't mind this, they probably would be happy to donate a $5-20 GC) the winner could collect over $1000 in prizes.

Last night, the place was rocking! Cars and people lined up on both Anthony Wayne and Vine Street, the fair had to open a third gate on Vine (first time in years), the parking lot was nearly full, the grandstand was overflowing and there was no violence.

Mike

[Valley Cat]

If anyone wants, there is a link on the Fair's Home page to post suggestions for next year.

Mike

[tntnb]

According to the paper, fair attendance was up 56% from last year. Big, big congrats to everyone who helped make this happen.

[Hartwell Girl]

Originally Posted by tntnb

According to the paper, fair attendance was up 56% from last year. Big, big congrats to everyone who helped make this happen.

I just read the article and was actually surprised cause I think the numbers have got to be way off...Hopefully those are just early numbers and they will be adding a few more thousand to that figure.

[justwantedtoknow]

What is happening with the Fair for 2010?