Is The County Fair Going Away?

Memories of the County Fair

Imagine you’re a kid again. It’s a week before the county fair, which happens to be in your home town (Lucky!). The square is getting busy. People are cleaning, building things, bringing in trucks, and a doing thousand other things. And then the biggest, most exciting sign of the fair happens. The rides are here! You try to guess what the folded up, separated hunks of metal are. Now it will be no time before your stomach churns from all the funnel cake and Ferris wheel rides!

Now imagine telling your grandkids all about it. But, not because you want them to get excited about the fair coming. But because you want them to have some idea of what it was like. They don’t get to go, because the fair no longer comes to town.

But why would it go away?

As a kid, you saw all those people running around doing things but you don’t realize how much they actually DO. There is a lot of work into putting together the fair. And it is all volunteer.

So why might the county fair be going away? Lack of volunteers. And I’m not talking about only the fair boards. This is happening to all of the very important organizations keep our little towns going.

It is time to fix that! Anyone and everyone can help. The members of the community as a whole are responsible for the success of our community as a whole. We can’t keep giving the burden to the small few and expect them to continue going.

How to help.

Start with these questions when figuring out how to help.

• What are your gifts and skills? Everyone has a skill. Are you an organizer? People person? Carpenter? Like to do big projects? Cook? Clean? Follow directions? Public speaking? Tik Tok extraordinaire? Math wiz? You have a skill that you can contribute and some organization can use it.
• What do you like to do? There are many different kinds of committees in a community. Some of them have very specific interests. Examples are gardening, youth, or sports. Others are more general.
• How much time can you commit? Can you coach a little league team in the fall? Could you commit to a meeting once a month? Or maybe just one hour once a year working a concession stand? There are all levels of time commitment.

The next step is to look at what organizations are out there. Ask questions. Find out a little more. Attend one meeting. You will find something that you enjoy and realize that this volunteer thing isn’t so bad.

Here are several examples of what type of organizations might exist in your community.

• History/Museum- See this post about our local museum.
• School Booster clubs/Parent Teacher Organizations
• Event boards- fairs, concerts, craft fairs, etc.
• Sports- boards, coaches, referees and umpires, concession stands, field maintenance, etc
• National organization chapters- Kiwanis, Lions Clubs, Veterans assoc, 4H, Boy Scouts, etc
• Gardening
• Community Betterment Committees
• Art/writing clubs
• Libraries, park, cemeteries
• many, many more possibilities

Let’s Keep The County Fair Going!

Everyone can agree that we don’t want the fair to go away. We want our grandkids’ grandkids to feel the same excitement we do! We also don’t want kids sports, the town events, the pretty flowers, parks, etc to go away. Everyone has to pitch in. Many hands make light work.

Oh and by the way locals…

The Holt County Autumn Fair board in Oregon is needing help from as many people as they can setting up the big tent and benches. Be there this Sunday morning, September 11th, 2022 at 7am. Let’s set some attendance records!

Kiwanis is looking for volunteers to help out at the food stand. Sign up at Callow’s on the square!

There are a few spots left in the information booth that need filled! And the hobby shows could use some help! Contact the Fair board to see how you can help!

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The Word

John 3:16. NIV. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.