DanTheBooker
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:02:11 AM
Does anyone have any examples of fairs that were once big and are now nothing special (as far as midway, attendance, Grandstand Entertainment)

Or vica versa. perhaps a small county fair that in a few years time turned into one of the state's largest or larger fairs?

I'm talking over a time period of 10 years or so.
chief
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 12:41:20 AM
the blue water festival use to be one of the bigest festivals in michigan in the 70s now i done know if is still going. i remember zyclon, 2 hymis, all the new rides back then,side shows all the big acts walanda use to walk across from the y to the jail. fireworks, port huron to mac boat race, man it was great
chief
"the party in hell has been canceled, do to the fire"
Scott
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010 1:06:57 AM
Every single Fair in the nation falls into one of those two catagory
uncle_buck
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 4:44:06 AM
Erie county fair in New York, except now the fudge the attendence numbers to make it seem it's still the largest county fair in the u.s.
They'll miss us when we're gone!
3drides
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 5:16:40 AM
The Madison County Fair in Brookfield New York at one time was a very well attended fair some say very large but now its hard to pull payroll out of Wheelocks-Midway rides of Utica-Sofas Playland and yes us 3-D Amusements have all played it and this year Main Event will give it a Shot if he takes in alot of his own food and pushes out the Independent he may have a shot i do not know if this fair can ever be brought back
2ndgencarnie
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 6:30:12 AM
I would be interested to hear what Pinetar could offer on this subject in regards to Strongsville OH. I always heard great things about the fair but over the past few years I haven't heard anything about it at all....
Skywheelrider
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 6:42:26 AM
Quote:

quote:


Originally posted by chief

the blue water festival use to be one of the bigest festivals in michigan in the 70s now i done know if is still going. i remember zyclon, 2 hymis, all the new rides back then,side shows all the big acts walanda use to walk across from the y to the jail. fireworks, port huron to mac boat race, man it was great
chief

It's not as big as it was, but we still play Port Huron every July at McMorran Place. Always the week of Boat Night and the start of the Port Huron to Mackinac boat race. I won't get into how good or not it is, but the McDonagh's have been there since 1995 or so.

Wayne County Fair in Belleville, Michigan when I was a kid was a decent fair, lots of exhibitors, the 4H was heavily involved, decent size midway, but now it's just a shell, they have a hard time even getting a small midway, twice in the last five years that have had just inflates. No 4H anymore, not many exhibitors.

How about the Michigan State Fair? In it's hey day, over 1 million attendees, to low points in the last twenty years of 200,000+, and now, after 2009, it is gone.

"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first." -- Mark Twain
Pinetar
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Tuesday, January 26, 2010 7:19:39 AM
From the above, you could surmise that such entertainment is waning.

Too many choices today. Carny Joe spoke to the reader, what did he do. He's livin' large in the sun and finally his women has teeth.

Fans, ride now, eat now, take your pics now. Your next racked ride pics may only be at the pay-to-view ride museum at UsedRides.com in years to come. Book your Greyhound ducat now.
UserPostedImage
mcarnyforlife
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 7:59:08 AM
sants clara county fair in san jose, fom 12 days to 3 days last time I played it
violence is the last refuge of the incompetent....AYN RAND
WestCoastPat
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 10:18:23 AM
The Santa Clara County Fair in San Jose, CA. is a strange deal. Here it sits on an old not so nice fairgrounds in a not so nice area surrounded by many of the most wealthy company's in the world and it was not able to compete with a traditional fair. So over the years they tried to make it a "Digital" or "DotCom" type thing and drew nobody. The area just seems not interested.

I guess it is true that if the people don't want to come you can't make em.
WestCoastPat-Proud Mark of all things Carnival. STILL a "FAN BOY"-and proud of it.
2ndgencarnie
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 10:21:01 AM
Quote:

quote:


Originally posted by Pinetar

From the above, you could surmise that such entertainment is waning.

Too many choices today. Carny Joe spoke to the reader, what did he do. He's livin' large in the sun and finally his women has teeth.

Fans, ride now, eat now, take your pics now. Your next racked ride pics may only be at the pay-to-view ride museum at UsedRides.com in years to come. Book your Greyhound ducat now.



Can someone please interpret this for me????
mcarnyforlife
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 10:39:11 AM
as for little to big, butch butler has reeally put a lot of money into improving his northern route, and the fairs have really gotten better, yakima and spokane are just two examples
violence is the last refuge of the incompetent....AYN RAND
massachusettsman
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 11:00:00 AM
Brockton Fair attendence has stayed similar but there is little entertainment and the midway has shrunk just a little although reithoffer still brings in the best midway in new england
Pizzagod
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 3:25:54 PM
Ionia Michigan
Cedar Rapids Iowa
Broward County Fair

this is a hole that has no bottom.
For one dollar I'll guess your weight, your height, or your sex.
indianacarnie
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 3:54:06 AM
wow pizzagod you took the post right outta my hands! exactly the 3 i was going to post. you can add spencer iowa to that too
An end, even with terror, is better than terror without end. F.Neitzsche