Fair organizers hope free fun will boost numbers

By YADAMSUREN BORCHULUUN of the Tribune’s staff
Story ran on Sunday, July 09 2000

While keeping its traditional agricultural focus, the 53rd annual Boone County Fair will also offer a host of activities for those who just want to have some fun.

The fair is officially set for July 24-30, but the weekend before will serve as a warmup, with horse and pony shows and a 4-H demonstration. The fair parade will be held downtown at 10 a.m. July 22.
Fair organizers, hoping to improve on last year’s attendance of 35,000, have arranged a much larger carnival, free children’s activities, rodeos, truck and tractor pulls, a Family Fun Night and an evening of team competitions. The new offerings will complement the traditional schedule of livestock and horse shows, a children’s barnyard, baby contests, the Miss Boone County Fair pageant and, of course, the ham breakfast.

Fair board president Vicki Russell predicted more people will visit the fair this year. "The attendance is affected by so many things, including weather," Russell said. "If weather is good, the attendance should be better this year because we are offering more activities."

Fairground manager George Harris said the goal is to make the fair more appealing to a broader spectrum of people, "but we do not want to turn it into a big party."

Lefton Promotions of St. Louis will have three free attractions for children: the Clown Typhoon ride for the youngest kids, Cecil the Sea Monster for those a little older and the Team Challenge Obstacle Course for teenagers.

Also free this year is the Family Fun Night on July 24, which will feature three-legged racing, gunny-sack races, tug of war, a balloon drop with prizes and other free games and activities. On Teams Thursday, July 27, five-member squads will compete in relays, tug of war, watermelon-eating and other contests.

Another new event will be the washer tournament. The game is similar to horseshoes, but players throw enlarged washers instead. "It is a very popular activity these days," Russell said.
Then there’s the carnival. Miller Spectacular Shows this year will feature 17 to 20 major rides. "Last year, the carnival was shared between two fairs and it offered only four to five major rides," Harris said.

The carnival will offer $10 wristbands, which allow unlimited rides, on four nights this year. They were available only one night last year.

At the grandstand, the fair will host a rodeo every evening Monday through Friday, a truck and tractor pull on Saturday and a demolition derby on Sunday. "We haven’t had the rodeo or a pull of this kind for many years," Russell said.

The ham breakfast and auction will fall on Saturday as usual. On the same day, amateur and professional cooks will be invited to compete in a barbecue contest with five categories: beef, pork, chicken, ribs and exotic meats.

One thing the fair won’t have this year is big-time musical acts. Attempts to lure entertainers failed, but Harris said that’s not so bad. The more famous entertainers don’t really attract local people, he said.

"We should concentrate on what people want in Boone County," Harris said.

A concerted effort to lure more businesses to the fair proved successful; 75 businesses, more than double last year’s number, will have booths this year. And because it’s an election year, politicians will also make their presence known.

"Everyone running for the election will be there," Harris said. "It will be an excellent space for them to meet people. Both the Republican and Democratic parties rented a space."