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Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
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Bryan Blair: On economic impact, value of a County Fair Compares the cost of visit to a night of entertainment at a fair, with food, versus a movie and dinner and finds the fair a better buy. He urges community to "remember what the Fair has meant to Adair County for generations and step up to the plate to help when the time comes to keep the Adair County Fair alive for generations to come." Click on headline for full commentary By Bryan Blair Personal commentary It would certainly be a sad thing to see a long standing tradition like the Adair County Fair ever come to an end. It would seem from the statements made in this article that there are some very narrow views as to what role county fairs play in a local economy. While it is certainly true that Fairs have changed and evolved over the years, they are important for several reasons, chief among them providing a showcase for youth, agriculture and community along with providing some of the most affordable entertainment in a community in a given year. I have made several friends in the Fair industry over the years, including the carnival side of the business. While it's true that in Kentucky most county fairs do operate off of a split of the gate with the carnival, one must also consider the money spent in a community each week by the carnival itself. Trucks and generators are filled with fuel each week, local auto parts shops are patronized for repair parts, transactions occur with local grocery stores and many other business transactions take place by the carnival during fair week in a local community. Today's carnivals are not the carnivals of the past. Most are owned as a family business and as the industry has evolved over the last few decades the days of dishonest operators are long gone. A large percentage of people who visit the Fair in any community spend no more than they would for an evening of entertainment by going out on a Saturday for dinner and a movie (and since anyone who goes to a movie from Columbia has to leave town to do so, that money is already leaving town weekly on a regular basis). The last time I checked, a movie night for a family of four will cost at least $40. Toss in another $20 for popcorn and sodas. Dinner out at a local "Mexican" type restaurant for four will run at least another $30. That's a total of $90 for a Saturday dinner out and movie. Compare that to $40 for admission of four to the Fair, unlimited rides, hours worth of entertainment that you don't see any other time of the year and $10 each for a burger, some chips and a soda and you're at $80. Pretty comparable and a lot more entertainment value for the buck than a night at the movies. It would seem that a community that is fairly limited in it's entertainment options would rally and support the Fair Board in their endeavor to find a new location. If the hope, as stated in the article, is genuine for the Fair to continue, I'd be curious to know if the Fair Board was given any type of opportunity to purchase the Fairgrounds as a first refusal or did this act simply pull the rug out from under a group of people who have worked hard volunteering to put on this event for the community or decades? While it may be "all positive changes" I am not convinced that can be unequivocally stated until the Fair Board locates property for a new Fairground because as it now stands the Fair is the loser until this happens. My childhood, teenage and adult experiences at the Adair County Fair throughout the years helped to mold me and lead me to the career that I now have. I'm sure there are many others that the Adair County Fair has influenced in a positive way throughout the years as well. The people of Adair County should feel fortunate. You have a solid group of committed volunteers who are passionate about producing a Fair for your community. They give their time, energy and very often without mentioning it their own money to produce the Fair. Like all other volunteer Fair Boards, they do it for the reward of seeing a community celebrate, reunite and make memories to last forever. I know many of the people on the Adair County Fair Board and I'm fortunate to call them my friends. I believe they will indeed face this challenge head on and find a way to keep the Fair alive, however it probably won 't be an inexpensive proposition to do so. So I'd ask everyone in the community to support the Fair Board's endeavor and that you remember what the Jaycees do for your community on an annual basis. Please remember what the Fair has meant to Adair County for generations and step up to the plate to help when the time comes to keep the Adair County Fair alive for generations to come. Bryan Blair Goshen, Indiana Comments re article 78877 Veterans honored hear details of potential sale location change This story was posted on 2015-11-11 16:38:17
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