Rather than complaining volunteer to help at fair

Dear editor:

We read your complaints about the Elmore County Fair. As volunteers at the Fair, we are happy to welcome you to volunteer your time and money to make the Elmore County Fair better,

After nine years of hard work we have felt that we had made a difference and vastly improved the fair. Sorry you can't remember the fair in 2000 when it was a complete bust...no exhibits or vendors.

When you compare oranges to apples like you did the Elmore County Fair to the Western Idaho Fair, maybe a little research is in order?

The Elmore County Fair is organized and put on by a lot of volunteers and a very few employees. The Western Idaho Fair is put on by a paid marketing firm and a lot of paid employees. Those that are paid include the superintendents and their assistants. YES, they receive an hourly wage.

Elmore County Fair has a substantially smaller budget of tax dollars than the Western Idaho Fair. We are a smaller population base, so we have a smaller tax base.

Elmore County Fair did make a mistake with the DJ instead of a band. That was most likely a financial (here is the budget again) decision. Getting vendors is a difficult job in our area at the best, again due to the population base and the number of people who actually attend the fair. A small business doesn't have the resources to be gone from their business location to go to the fair for 4 or 5 days.

Now about the exposition building: what did you enter in Open Class? Some departments were up on entries, such a Culinary Arts: we had 35 different exhibitors and 10 cakes. We haven't had that much in the last 9 years that we have been helping. Some departments were close to the same and some areas had fewer entries, That is normal for any fair.

Now, if you can convince every person in the county to enter one item in every department we would overflow. Just one entry per person in the county and we would increase our entries in Open Class.

The Elmore County Fair is about PARTICIPATION -- get involved -- convince your friends and neighbors to enter their items. Maybe that service or church organization you belong to needs to bring their games and or food to the Vendors Alley -- step up and organize it. Maybe the volunteer Fair Board members and paid director could use the help to get more vendors/bands/ entertainment and exhibits. The next fair board meeting is Aug. 10. Call the Fair office to find out more information: 587-2136-6.

The volunteers have put on Ice Cream Socials and fashion shows to go along with the pie contest and selling the pie to raise money to make improvements to the exhibit building. The reason it is not done anymore is: "Lack of Volunteers."

Bev Lucia did the social and fashion show a couple years with the help of a couple people. Then she did it by herself for a year and it is too much work with no help, Making six or seven ice cream freezers of homemade ice cream, baking cookies and pies and then beg someone to come help serve, take the $ and clean up the mess, it is too much for one or two people to do. Now think about how to add a Vintage Fashion show along with the other work, just try it, see how you do.

Now remember, all those volunteers are not unemployed or retired. They have jobs and businesses to run.

So, we say to the complainers: Just complaining and pointing fingers really doesn't do anyone any good or help with the problems. Come up with a solution to bring us up to the "21st Century" and have more at the Fair. Put your money where your mouth is -- volunteer at the fair -- spend your own gas money and your time to make the Elmore County Fair better!

Bev Lucia, Open Class

Superintendent

Sandy Wyngaard, volunteer Culinary Arts

Sheri Wildon, Culinary Arts Superintendent