Howard Fair

[Teresa]

Where is this at? Do we bring blankets, lawn chairs or can we back the truck up?
I'll bring bug spray...

How many white sheets do you need? 

[Diane Amberg]

Teresa, how far away is your 6 flags and all? Will fuel costs be a consideration now? Maybe closer to home is better provided the rides don't cost too much to bring in. Bounce houses and dunking tanks are a big draw here. I'd pay to try to dunk Teresa or your school board!   

[Teresa]

Mean! You are just plain ole' mean!

[L Hendricks]

The free movie is going to be at the Longton Fair Grounds on Thurs - Rumor has it that popcorn will be provided - still looking for a monkey to deliver the popcorn... details, details, details... One of the problems with the outdoors movies is the licensing fee - it is $150/movie/location.... does anyone know Oprah... the Elk Konnected Youth Development action team is organizing this and Ks Communities is sponsoring (paying) for the first movie - we are in need of other donors so we can hopefully do a movie in each town before summer and fall is over... Love all the ideas to improve the fair...

I will say that when I first got on the commission I was a "one county" fair - and therefore cut the budget that the fairs get from the County - now only the "4-H" fair gets $3000/year.  Unfortunately my attempt at creating one fair was not successful... I also went and spoke at the Longton Fair meeting right after their barn burned and urged them at that time to consider moving to one fair - not successful.  There is a lot of family feelings in that Longton fair - we have 2nd and 3rd generation keeping it going... I do think each of the town needs their "event" but we do need to modernize them and search and see what we can do to make them more enjoyable...

I too am guilty of not being involved in the fair assns... my hat is full right now.  However, when Doug & I first got married we did help with the Longton Fair - and again sometimes the attitude is we don't want too much change...

[W. Gray]

A solution to the county fair problem in Elk County--and more.

In the old days, the state legislature had to create or destroy a county. There was no other way.

For instance, the Kansas legislature created Howard County and the Kansas legislature destroyed Howard County giving birth to Elk and Chautauqua.

However, now there is an entirely new ballgame.

The governor of Kansas signed Senate Bill 379 into law almost two years ago.

Five percent of the voters of any two or more counties may petition their commissioners for a vote to consolidate without the legislature becoming involved. Once the voters in each county approve via an election, they can merge creating a new legal county.

My suggestion is for the people of Chautauqua and Elk County to consolidate into a new county called Howard.

Naturally, Howard the town and Sedan get dumped, so to speak.

The new county seat location should be at the north 80 acres and the south 80 acres on either side immediately west of the intersection of road 13 and Valley Road. [On commercial maps it is shown as road 24 but the street sign says 13]

There they can build a huge new courthouse and a huge new fairground.

The new county seat would be called Boston.

There is already a cemetery there so all they would need to do would be expand it.

Naturally, the Elk County Fair and the Chautauqua County fair would both be terminated due to lack of a sponsor.

The next fair would be a huge effort and would take up where the 1873 fair at Howard City left off.

The $355 price money of that year would be adjusted for inflation and then some.

It would be called the 3rd Howard County Fair.

Longton could do what they want.

Citizens in Howard would rename their town, Howard City.

With the new taxes the citizens eagerly approve, water distribution and fair prize money would be no problem.

[sixdogsmom]

So Waldo, would you be willing to share whatever it is you've been having? 

[indygal]

Combining counties is a radical idea, but I first heard this mentioned a few weeks ago by a Howard resident. He was saying the courthouse upkeep is a big expense to the county and one that will have to be addressed sooner or later.

Would it resolve all the town rivalries or create more? Who's to say...

I do know, after speaking with a Sedan resident, that the Chautauqua county fair this year was a fizzle with low attendance, and that they'll be having a 4-H fair soon, too. Again, it seems such a waste of resources to spread it around so thinly that no one gets any real benefit. It seems like a lot of duplication to me. Many hands make light work.

Teresa, I do like all the ideas you had for adult contests. I also like the idea of focusing on farming's roots...antique machinery and such, so those old-fashioned games add that sense of yesteryear.

[W. Gray]

Sixdogsmon,

As Judy Tenuta would say as she squeezed her accordion, "It could happen."


Shucks, Jenny would see a newspaper would be needed in the county seat and she would convince Rudy to consolidate the Flint Hills Express and Sedan Times-Star into the Howard County Messenger.

The move would catapult Rudy to Thomas E. Thompson fame.

Elk Falls, though, would be the only area in the new county that was not happy.

[pepelect]

Why do we need a court house?

[sixdogsmom]

To hold court?