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I could give you many reasons why you should attend this year’s La Crosse Interstate Fair.
I’ll explain some of them, but let’s get straight to the point. Entrance to the fair is 100 percent, absolutely free. There’s no fee for parking either.
Let’s face it, these are tough economic times. Many of us have pinched back on vacations or on recreation because it’s not an essential expense. That’s all the more reason to pack up your kids, or your grandchildren or even make it a date night with your spouse or significant other and head to the fairgrounds in West Salem.
I freely admit that I have a kind bias toward fairs. As a farm kid who is now a part-time hobby farmer, I can spend hours walking down the aisles of the livestock barns, admiring garden produce and appreciating the pride that exhibitors have in their animals or products. That doesn’t even include the special entertainment and livestock events.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch and, of course, you can spend some money on the food, rides and midway games. But even for the rides there are special prices to make it an affordable event.
None of this would have happened if the La Crosse County Agricultural Society had not assumed control of the fair 20 years ago. The fair was at risk of folding and was carrying a daunting $174,000 mortgage.
I’ll never forget the meeting in West Salem in the spring of 1989 where some courageous and visionary residents and businesses stuck their neck out and made that bold decision to pledge their signatures as collateral on the fair debt. The mortgage was paid off in 1994, and since then the investment and upgrades at the fairgrounds has been tremendous.
The fair and the fairgrounds are an asset to La Crosse County, bringing in many other shows and events throughout the year. That benefits local businesses throughout the county.
Even if you don’t like corn dogs or cotton candy, you should still stop at the fair, if for nothing more than to say thanks to the many members and volunteers who contribute a lot of time and effort to make the fair one of the best family events of the year. It’s their hard work that puts the smiles on lots of faces.
You might even see me wandering around the livestock barns.
Chris Hardie is publisher of the weekly and shopper division of the River Valley Newspaper Group.
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