OSKALOOSA — The last song has been sung, the last neon-lighted midway ride has been rode and the last animal has been shown as the Southern Iowa Fair pulls down the curtain on version 2008.
Wet weather or not, those in the know said this year’s fair was a success, both in quantity and quality.
Southern Iowa Fair Manager Kelly Long said attendance this year was “really good.”
“We had a lot of people roaming the grounds all week,” she said. “Concessionaries said they had a really good week. And the exhibitors in the varied industry and the grandstand said they had a lot of people stopping in.”
Long said the fair campground was full the entire week and already a dozen have signed up for a waiting list to camp next year.
“We had 90 campers. Because people like camping at the fair,” she said. “Every year we book it. And we always reserve those out every year and there’s always a waiting list for that. So it’s a popular deal.”
Long said two of the more popular attractions this year were the Doggies of the Wild West and the combine derby and bus races.
While the All Around Attractions carnival midway rides were in the process of being loaded onto trailers Monday morning for the next stop in Maxwell, owner Chad Young, of Slidell, La., called the 2008 Southern Iowa Fair a success, albeit for an uncontrollable element — rain.
“We had some bad weather Wednesday night and then it followed into Thursday,” Young said. “But I think the people, they’re used to getting, I think the last few years, they finally had a good carnival.”
Young employs between 10 and 20 employees and will do up to 15 carnival ride events each year.
Amanda McCrea, program assistant for Iowa State University Extension, said between 200 and 250 participated in nearly 30 different 4-H events at this year’s fair. She said project quality was exceptional.
“I think it’s very good quality,” she said. “But we had some really good projects this year.”
Herald City Editor Michael Schaffer can be reached by email at mschaffer@oskyherald.com
Local News
Related Photos
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All Around Attractions workers were busy Monday morning at the Southern Iowa Fairgrounds loading midway rides onto trailers destined for a rodeo in Maxwell, Iowa. Herald photo by Michael Schaffer
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