The Benton County Fair will start a month earlier in 2010.
The fair will be held Aug. 18-22, Tim Craig, president of the Benton County Fair Board, said.
September rain the past two years has led to slower attendance at the fair, Craig said.
The fair board also canceled its contract with Dillard Expositions, the company responsible for bringing the carnival to the county fair for more than 50 years, Craig said. The decision to hire a new carnival company came during the 2009 fair when Dillard set up only nine of the expected 26 to 28 carnival rides, Craig said.
Between the rainy weather and the lack of carnival rides, the fair board estimates it lost between $40,000 and $50,000 on carnival rides and an additional $30,000 to $40,000 on gate proceeds in 2009,Craig said.
Having a nearly empty midway during the 2009 fair “was embarrassing to us (the fair board) as well as the kids and the county residents. We hope they will give us another chance and we will do it right this time,” Craig said. “Although I rode every one of the rides and every one of them were safe, it was disappointing.”
The new dates mean less time for many exhibitors to get prepared.
The county fair has been a highlight of Misty Harris’ year since she was a small girl showing her goats and sheep.
Now, the Gravette native enjoys watching her three children, Hailey, 4, Hayden, 7, and Hannah, 8, show their livestock at the fair.
With one less month to prepare, Harris said her children are going to have to work even harder this summer with their animals to get them trained and to get them up to weight standards.
Another hurdle also looms. The school year typically begins around Aug. 19, Harris, a teacher, said.
“We can work harder with (the children) in the summer without them missing so much homework time like they do when the fair is in September so that will be a plus, but they may have to miss the first week of school and I do not know how that will work out.,” Harris said.
The fair board took the beginning of the school year into account when scheduling, Craig said.
“It is hard to meet everyone’s schedules,” Craig said. “We know it is not going to be perfect for everybody but we did the best we could.”
Dates for the Washington County Fair, which is typically held in August, have not been set, said Denise Murdoch, administrative assistant for the Washington County Cooperative Extension.
News, Pages 2 on 12/30/2009