After months of preparations it's here - the 156th annual Green County Fair.
The event, which runs Wednesday through Sunday at the fairgrounds in Monroe, offers a true slice of Americana. Exhibits and auctions of the top livestock in the county; a midway full of carnival rides and games; a grandstand line-up that includes country music, a tractor pull and demolition derbies; and a chance to meet and greet friends and neighbors are all reasons why fairs like Green County's continue to highlight the summer season.
Last year, we praised the Green County Fair Board for actively trying to make the fair a more positive experience for visitors. After listening to concerns about the quality of the midway at the 2008 fair, the board hired a new company to provide the midway carnival. Based on readers' comments from the 2009 fair, fair-goers liked the new midway provided by Mr. Ed's Magical Midway better. The board is bringing Mr. Ed's back this year with the promise of something for everyone - rides for children, families and thrill-seekers.
The fair board took it a step further this year by soliciting more input via an online survey. It encouraged people to log onto the fair's website, www.greencountyfair.net, to take the survey and offer suggestions and comments on the fair. This type of feedback is invaluable for the fair board to find out what fair-goers want in their county fair, and we applaud the board's efforts to encourage more input.
Along with that, the fair for the first time offered online ticket sales for grandstand entertainment that require separate paid admissions. Beginning April 15, fair-goers could order tickets online for country music band Lonestar, Saturday's grandstand entertainment, as well as Sunday's two demolition derbies. This surely proved more convenient for many people and further demonstrates the fair board's efforts to make the fair more "user friendly."
The backbone of the fair is, and we hope always will be, the 4-H youth who work for months preparing to showcase their animal and other exhibits at the fair. They are what the Green County Fair is really all about.
We visited the Lafayette County Fair last week and talked to visitors there about their memories of the fair. There were plenty of remembrances of fairs gone by - days and nights spent in the barns with livestock, staying up late, meeting new friends. Memories such as those will be made this week.
We encourage residents to visit the fair, support the 4-H youth and enjoy the festivities. Thanks to the efforts of both the youth involved and the Green County Fair Board, it promises to be an enjoyable experience.
The event, which runs Wednesday through Sunday at the fairgrounds in Monroe, offers a true slice of Americana. Exhibits and auctions of the top livestock in the county; a midway full of carnival rides and games; a grandstand line-up that includes country music, a tractor pull and demolition derbies; and a chance to meet and greet friends and neighbors are all reasons why fairs like Green County's continue to highlight the summer season.
Last year, we praised the Green County Fair Board for actively trying to make the fair a more positive experience for visitors. After listening to concerns about the quality of the midway at the 2008 fair, the board hired a new company to provide the midway carnival. Based on readers' comments from the 2009 fair, fair-goers liked the new midway provided by Mr. Ed's Magical Midway better. The board is bringing Mr. Ed's back this year with the promise of something for everyone - rides for children, families and thrill-seekers.
The fair board took it a step further this year by soliciting more input via an online survey. It encouraged people to log onto the fair's website, www.greencountyfair.net, to take the survey and offer suggestions and comments on the fair. This type of feedback is invaluable for the fair board to find out what fair-goers want in their county fair, and we applaud the board's efforts to encourage more input.
Along with that, the fair for the first time offered online ticket sales for grandstand entertainment that require separate paid admissions. Beginning April 15, fair-goers could order tickets online for country music band Lonestar, Saturday's grandstand entertainment, as well as Sunday's two demolition derbies. This surely proved more convenient for many people and further demonstrates the fair board's efforts to make the fair more "user friendly."
The backbone of the fair is, and we hope always will be, the 4-H youth who work for months preparing to showcase their animal and other exhibits at the fair. They are what the Green County Fair is really all about.
We visited the Lafayette County Fair last week and talked to visitors there about their memories of the fair. There were plenty of remembrances of fairs gone by - days and nights spent in the barns with livestock, staying up late, meeting new friends. Memories such as those will be made this week.
We encourage residents to visit the fair, support the 4-H youth and enjoy the festivities. Thanks to the efforts of both the youth involved and the Green County Fair Board, it promises to be an enjoyable experience.
