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Groton Daily Independent
Friday, Aug. 25, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 056 ~ 21 of 65
The $27,000 the mayor wants to cut in this case won’t be needed to balance a growing budget. Cutting the money, however, would send the message that the arts are becoming less important and that would be a step backward for our community.
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American News, Aberdeen, Aug. 24
The fair’s good, and good to improve
The Brown County Fair is an annual thing of wonder.
Think about it. The fairgrounds on the northwest edge of Aberdeen becomes its own fully functioning city. It has its own food places, entertainment, transportation systems, governing body, security, waste man-
agement and living accommodations for 716 campers and others such as carnival workers.
There is a lot of good that happens there in a week’s time. Plus, the fair has a solid reputation, and adds
to Aberdeen’s resume as a place where good things happen.
Of course, if you are not moving forward, you are falling behind. Therefore, fair improvements must
continue.
Here are our 2017 fair “thumbs ups, thumbs downs” — some good things mixed in with needed improve-
ments:
Thumbs up: To all the volunteers, thank you. They are the backbone of the fair, folks such as local resi-
dent Stu Swenson, whose family is on its third generation of helping at the fair.
Thumbs down: When you leave hundreds of people to park on their own in make-shift parking lots, there are going to be problems. People are going to take down barriers to park where they are not supposed to park as well as box other people in with careless attitudes. Maybe the return of parking volunteers is
needed, especially on the nights of concerts.
Thumbs up: In 2016, heavy rains made a mess of parking. Work was done to improve parking areas,
and it made a big difference this year, even though there are still improvements to be made.
Thumbs down: Ticketing issues were again a problem early on at the Monday rodeo. Resolved maybe, but come on. How many years in a row are we going to have problems with ticketing? Why can’t this be
resolved? This has to be job No. 1 for 2018.
Thumbs up: There was a nice mix of fair food vendors to please the palates of many. Keep the favorites
and mix in new vendors and new options.
Thumbs down: If you are going to have reserved seating in the grandstands, the row numbers on the
steps need to be able to be seen. They need to be repainted.
Thumbs up: The pet ban was a good idea that seemed to work for the most part.
Thumbs down: The fair needs to gure out free internet access for guests. A good Wi-Fi connection is
almost like a water hookup in this day and age. The fair, active on social media, should encourage patrons to promote the fair with the convenience of free Wi-Fi.
Thumbs up: Most of the entertainment seemed top notch. A rising star band such as Old Dominion seemed to impress concert-goers, and their numbers certainly impressed band members, who said as much during their energetic performance.
Thumbs down: It seems like more and more ATVs are being allowed on the fairgrounds. Golf carts, although still a threat to walkers, are needed to help transport those who need help walking as well as to carry heavy loads. But ATVs that have the ability to go very fast should be very limited in their use to only those who need to get somewhere fast, such as law enforcement.
Thumbs up: We like to see our local, state and federal of ce-holders visit the fair and meet-and-greet with constituents of all political leanings.
Thumbs down: Underage drinking continues to be an issue at the fair, and continues to be a concern to us all.
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