# County Fairs...



## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I have only been to the fair once in KY and it's been years...it was free unless you were riding rides.
I grew up in IN and you could always go to the fairs for free and walk around unless you wanted to ride rides...

So I am really sad that the county fairs here are charging fees just to come in and walk around even when the midway isn't open!

I'm trying to find out since my kids are wanting to show in the county fairs around us, if we can just pay for their entry fees? Because that's like $30-40 every time we go, and IMO that is insanely ridiculous :sigh: 

Next year they will have more to do if they show market animals since they don't have to pay anything to enter into the district shows. 

Do your county fairs charge like this as well? 

I wanted to enter some photos in the photography contest, but now I'm afraid I'll have to pay just to take them in, and I'd have to have my kids with me since school will be out...


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## DulmesFamilyBoers (Feb 26, 2011)

I think I would call the info line for the county fairs you want to attend. I'm sure you can find them online. What you are describing sounds very different from how it works in Wisconsin. I don't think we can show at other county fairs, just our own County fair along with State fair, ABGA shows...

My boys who are 4-H exhibitors don't pay a fee to show or get into our County Fair, but my husband and I have to pay to get in.


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## Kimmerz Cali Kidz (Apr 30, 2011)

Our county fair just ended... Sacramento County Fair; my boy showed his market hog this year... I think I payed $10 for market entry and $5 for his showmanship entry, and when we dropped the pig off we got a season parking pass ($10/day reg. Price) an entry wrist band for my boy and then they gave 10 single entry tickets; 1 for each parent each day fair was open...


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Wow That sounds great! And wow your fair is early in the summer!!! 

I am trying to find out if we can at least take the goats home and come back to ride the rides when they open. The 4-H leader said there should be cages there, so we are checking with another woman to see if we can leave the goats in the pens so the kids can ride the rides. Sadly, my kids have never been to a fair, well they have but they were too little to remember.
I don't mind paying if we can ride rides 

Most counties have open shows here, so you can go from county to county around you to show. I think it's great the kids can do that. 
My kids are just doing breeding does this year to get their foot in the door. Next year if they like doing 4-H shows, they will hopefully have market goats, and can go to district shows - you don't have to pay any fees for district shows.

Entry fee for our county is just fair entrance fee, so $10 covers it.
The county north of us emailed me back and told me no entry fee since check in for goat show is before the gates open...WHEW.

Now the kids in our county are not having their 4-H/FFA projects judged during the fair. Because our fair is one of the earliest of the season, the kids will be showing their projects at the end of July for county judging. But they are encouraged to enter the fair and surrounding counties to get experience, especially newbies like us. 

We don't have top quality breeding stock does, but the kids have been working hard with them, and having fun. I just hope they do okay so the kids don't lose any confidence, that is my biggest worry, I don't care if they win or lose, I want them to have fun, but not lose any confidence. They are both kind of shy, my oldest daughter has ADHD and can be real stubborn & shy when doing things in front of strangers. Fingers crossed


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## Saanens N Alpines (Oct 20, 2010)

I think at the fairs around here you have to leave your animals the whole week if you want to show them. They have barns for each species and pens to keep them in so that people can look at them all week. Of course this means we have to go there twice every day to care for the animals. The 4-H kids get free passes for the week and the parents get a discounted week's pass.


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## RPC (Nov 6, 2009)

Our fair you leave the animals there all week and you can not take them home till the fair is over. The kids pay 1 dollar for their week pass. I pay 40 so I can park inside the gate for the week. Our fair charges 5 dollars a person to get into it. Some other fairs around us are free but our fair grounds is not owned by the 4-H or the city it is owned by a private party so that's why it cost money. Parents and family can get a discounted week pass for like 20 dollars which saves you 10 bucks. Up here you can not show at any other county fairs or you are kicked out and loose all your placings and trophy's


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## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

ok so our fairs are free except parking. 

THere is one fair here that is requiring an entrance fee. When I went to show in an open show there I just went to the exhibitor entrance and didnt pay a thing. I dont know if I will get away with that this year or not but I then walked around and no one said a thing to me. I figure I am supporting the fair by bringing my goats and paying for them to be there for the show so they shouldnt make me pay again!


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I think it's sad that people have to pay just to get in....Especially right now when people are strugging and can't afford to take their families to the fair. I am trying to do all of this on my own, and it's soo hard not having a regular income to depend on. I guess I wouldn't complain so much if I had a regular income. I'd rather use the ticket per ride option instead of the flat fee, because I really don't ride the rides at fairs, I like to go and look around.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Our fair is NOT free. The 4Hers get a free pass for the week, and the parents/leaders or whoever can buy a week pass.

I do understand where you are coming from about wanting them to be free, but I am on the fair Board this year and I now know just how much it costs to run the fair for the week. Those fairs that do not have a admission fee, are very lucky. They have businesses that are sponsering them so they can put the fair on. In that case PLEASE make sure you thank those companies, make sure you shop at their stores if you can, it take a LOT of money to run the fair and to get it paid for is awesome.


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## logansmommy7 (Nov 11, 2009)

It is funny this got posted today about fairs-I have been wanting to get a dairy goat category started in our local county fair and am not being welcomed like I thought I might. The fair here typically has people who showcase large scale dairy farms, and meat goats, not dairy goats, especially the miniature variety. I am wanting to get the breed out there in hopes of finding future customers, and maybe spread the word on Nigerians for those people who don't have tons of land but have enough to milk one or two and provide for themselves. (SORRY TO HIJACK THIS POST BTW)...any thoughts on this?? It bugs me but I want to continue to pursue it, even if it is just an exhibit with organic farmers/community supported agriculture/or SOMETHING. Is this crazy to think that maybe this breed should be included in something like a county fair??


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

I sure hope you can get somewhere with it Hunter, what a shame they aren't being welcoming 

I totally understand your point Lori. I don't mind paying but it's going to be about $50 just to get into the fair for the goat show, IMO that just seems a bit steep, especially since the goat show is hours before the Midway opens. If we can have a pen for the goats, or at least take them home and come back to actually look around I don't mind paying that amount, but if we can't, well it's a real blow to the bank account and the kids would be disappointed.

I do think that before the Midway opens they should allow people to come in and see the exhibits, you know early in the day. From what I gather they do the wristbands anyway, and you have to have one to get on the rides...so if anyone is going to stay until 6pm just to see people riding rides...hehe....but of course they'd have to eat...and those games are tempting 
There are a lot of people struggling right now, and the fair used to be a place you could go just to see the sights. There are a lot of sponsors for our fair and I do appreciate it. The horse farms around here are big supporters especially for all the horse events in the fair, as it is listed as a Fair & horse show. 
BTW, the local farm store that I shop at a lot is sponsoring the goat show. They typically just have 1 basic goat feed, so we don't buy feed from them, but with show season about, they have the goat show chow, so I picked up a bag today, and was chatting with the woman,all the workers there are really nice, and she was excited that my kids are trying 4-H with their goats. 

I guess I am just used to the way it used to be....going to the fair walking around, playing games, buying a drink, snack or something of that sort.... If I recall it used to be free at this fair up until recent years. We took the kids there years ago when they were young and didn't pay an entry fee.


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## Calico Patch Farm (Mar 8, 2011)

Since my sister and I show for 4-H we get gate passes that let us in for free all week. My mom and dad by a gate pass for the week. They cost about 10-15. Your kids are showing for 4-H right? If so, ask the club leader if they have a 4-Her gate pass.


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

No gate passes  The good thing is it's a one day show, so the goats don't have to stay there.


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## GoatGirlMO (Aug 13, 2010)

Ours are $25-30 for season passes for the week, no breaks for 4-H kids. The goats have to stay all week. By buying the passes, we save probably $15-35 dollars. The price per day for gate entries is anywhere from $7-25 a day, without the season passes. 

At one fair, we don't have entry fees for 4-Hers (but I have to pay since I'm open) and the other the entry fees are like $4 a goat. 

Paybacks are around $10-12 for blues, $8-10 for reds, and $4-6 for whites. So it's definitely the season pass that kills us... we have five family members so it's $100-125 a fair just for that. Just one of those things... I make sure to take as many goats as possible because premiums will cover a large amount of that season pass, which I have to pay whether I take one goat or five or ten.


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## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

Yep all our animals have to stay the week, unless they are in the Breeding show. We stall on July 25th and NO ANIMALS can leave (unless they are sick, and the vet says to get them out) until the 31th. The market animals are all loaded up on the 31st and all the others leave that day also. 

It is amazing to hear how they are all put on around the country. Our gates open at 8:00 am and no show starts before 9:00, and 10:00 for most. That way people can come in. 

We always buy the week pass becsue we camp at the fair grounds and we are in and out all week long. It was only about 5 years ago that the 4Hers got a free pass to get in for the week. 

logansmommy7, it is to late this year, but you need to jump on the band wagon and talk to your fair board people or in our case the Livestock comity about getting a Dairy goat show. Our dairy goat show use to be huge, like 80 dairy goats were there, but they had some pretty nasty people in the dairy goat groups that they chased a lot of people out, now there are only about 20. Don't give up, get it going and get more people to rally behind you. You might end up being the county wide leader.


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## jdblack97 (May 25, 2011)

Guess we are fortunate in our county..We have no entrance fee to fair grounds. The 4Hers and FFA kids pay entry fees per animal, which varies. We have many local companies who sponsor the various events, of course we are not very large. We are currently wrapping up the fair and will hold our Sale of animals tomorrow morning.


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## Dani-1995 (Mar 11, 2011)

Gosh, either your fair is early or ours is late. We show our goats on circuit the 6th of October and probably the 8th for county only. We don't sell them until late october, So we have them from march to october


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## HoosierShadow (Apr 20, 2010)

Our fair is early, one of the earliest in the state. They have an open goat show during the fair, then a county only 4-H/FFA show at the end of next month to pick projects for the State Fair, so the kids have more time to get their goats ready/closer to state fair which is the end of Aug.

Good thing cause our girls need work


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## VincekFarm (Jun 27, 2011)

Well my county fair is pretty good, whomever shows goats gets a hangtag so we can drive our cars in and out of the fairground as we please, there is a fee for others to come into the fairgrounds though..


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