2015 fair deemed a success

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Despite a few complaints about the rides, Highland County Fair President Charles Davidson said the 2015 fair was relatively uneventful with decent attendance.

Davidson said the fair had its third highest paid attendance since 2009.

“It was good. Weatherwise, it wasn’t the best, but it wasn’t bad,” Davidson said. “It was hot at the beginning and you needed a jacket at the end. That’s the Highland County Fair.”

There were some complaints about the rides, according to the fair board president. Many local residents complained that there was an additional fee for up to three rides for younger children on top of the $10 admission fee that was advertised as covering the costs of the rides.

Davidson said the fair board used a new ride company this year and that there were a few fees he wasn’t completely aware of. He said the fair board contacted about 15 ride companies trying to book one for this year’s fair. He said that five companies said they couldn’t make it, nine were already booked and the other one said it would be glad to visit Highland County.

“That was probably the biggest complaint,” Davidson said of the additional fee for some rides. He said was one a fun house that’s really considered an additional attraction and not a ride, and another that required an additional fee was a slide. He said the ride company had some issue with its insurance company that left it unable use the slide unless there was an additional fee.

“They weren’t bad rides. They might have been little older, but some people want Kings Island rides,” Davidson joked. “We had some complaints and we had some people that said they really liked them.”

The weather played somewhat of a factor in the crowds not being larger, Davidson said. He said it was too hot for some people early in the week and that on Friday night there was a threat of rain, with a small shower, that may have kept some people away.

“We’d like to thank all the people that came out and supported the fair,” Davison said. “Some people think it’s only about the tractor pulls or some other thing, but it actually takes everyone from the vendors, to the businesses that support the kids the through the sales, to all the volunteers and lots of other people to make it work.”

He added that while he did not have final sale figures yet, he thought most of the livestock sales went well.

The 2016 Highland County Fair will begin on Saturday, Sept. 3 and run through Saturday, Sept. 10.

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.

Some of the rides that were part of the 2015 Highland County Fair are shown on the first day of this year’s fair.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/09/web1_Fair-ride-pic.jpgSome of the rides that were part of the 2015 Highland County Fair are shown on the first day of this year’s fair.

Jeff Parry (far right) of Five Points Implement and others wait in line to have steers weighed at the 68th annual Highland County Fair.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2015/09/web1_Fair-pic-21.jpgJeff Parry (far right) of Five Points Implement and others wait in line to have steers weighed at the 68th annual Highland County Fair.
Third highest attendance since 2009

By Jeff Gilliland

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