The Great State Fair:....what do you remember???

[papaOU]

Let's nominate SoonerDave to be brought on to the Fair board. I bet he would clean house, kick butt's and take names. He is right on the money about EVERYTHING he said, sad but, true. I have often thought if the fair is even going to be around much longer. One of the nicest buildings was the Flower and Garden building with the fountain. They closed them years ago.

To heck with appointments. Let's all go and put a full scale coup in action.

[papaOU]

I have not been in years. What have they done to/with the Kirkpatrick Planetarium? Still got the mummies and submarine telescope? If not, where did that stuff go?

[Generals64]

I have not been in years. What have they done to/with the Kirkpatrick Planetarium? Still got the mummies and submarine telescope? If not, where did that stuff go?

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I don't believe that is out at the fairgrounds now...don't know what happened to the stuff either..

[papaOU]

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I don't believe that is out at the fairgrounds now...don't know what happened to the stuff either..

Remebered taking fieldtrips in school to the place. Always thought it was neat how close and clear Mt. St. Mary's looked in the periscope. And I lived only one block from the place.

[Generals64]

do any of you remember buying one of those Lizards on a string?....Some guy was very ingenius....go and catch a jillion Chameleon's pay a nickle for them (or less) and then sell them for $1.00......That's kinda like paying 50 cents for a painted turtle at TG&Y....We bought them for seven cents....then they would die about two days later and a lot of people brought them back dead for a refund....Yes Pruner< they did stink both dead or alive.....

I had a another TG&Y guy play a very, very bad Joke on me (tell you at the meeting) and so in retaliation, I saved all the dead and turtles for about a week and mailed them to his store to his attention Special Delivery....They were ripe..The day it was to arrive, our boss was there and in trying to help he opened the box.....Caught H&%% over that deal....Then the boss asked (in private) who's ahead???? My response was stay out of his store for the next few days then you'll know...Tell you the rest of the story (good one) at the 26th meeting....

[papaOU]

do any of you remember buying one of those Lizards on a string?....Some guy was very ingenius....go and catch a jillion Chameleon's pay a nickle for them (or less) and then sell them for $1.00......That's kinda like paying 50 cents for a painted turtle at TG&Y....We bought them for seven cents....then they would die about two days later and a lot of people brought them back dead for a refund....Yes Pruner< they did stink both dead or alive.....

I had a another TG&Y guy play a very, very bad Joke on me (tell you at the meeting) and so in retaliation, I saved all the dead and turtles for about a week and mailed them to his store to his attention Special Delivery....They were ripe..The day it was to arrive, our boss was there and in trying to help he opened the box.....Caught H&%% over that deal....Then the boss asked (in private) who's ahead???? My response was stay out of his store for the next few days then you'll know...Tell you the rest of the story (good one) at the 26th meeting....

I worked graveyard often. The "big boss" could be a real pain. I don't look it now but I was thin and wirery guy and could go over, under and through about anything. Having done something to piss-off our shift one november I went to thunderbird and caught a huge carp which I took to work with me the next shift. Climbing through the ceiling tiles I got into his office and threw that carp as far as I could into the heating duct that was directly above his desk. Took them forever to figure out where that smell was coming from. Never figured out who did it but had a good idea.

[Generals64]

I worked graveyard often. The "big boss" could be a real pain. I don't look it now but I was thin and wirery guy and could go over, under and through about anything. Having done something to piss-off our shift one november I went to thunderbird and caught a huge carp which I took to work with me the next shift. Climbing through the ceiling tiles I got into his office and threw that carp as far as I could into the heating duct that was directly above his desk. Took them forever to figure out where that smell was coming from. Never figured out who did it but had a good idea.

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That was horrible. But, this guy pulled a joke on me (was a good one) but, I almost ended up in a divorce....I'll tell you on the 26th. We used to have to order our seasonal goods 4-6 months in advance.....So, I thought it would be funny to confiscate his Seasonal order sheets and an Office Envelope and order for him (Christmas Orders no doubt). I ordered certain toys a little too heavy...no, a whole lot to heavy...and thought it would really be funny. Now, we could get rid of any excess seasonal items to the 74th street store. But, I ordered him a large...LARGE ..... amount of Barbie and Mattel goods....Guess who had the ONLY Barbie dolls and clothes for Christmas on the South side of OKC???? He made a killing on those orders.......Some joke huh???? He was the "HERO" for planning ahead.....oops....

[Generals64]

Well, the little wife won a Blue Ribbon for her quilt....That's First Place PapaOU...
There was a crowd out there at 10:00 a.m. this morning...They were already selling Corn Dogs...you know, the Pronto Pup....30 minutes after you eat that much grease it's Pronto to the Men's room or Ladies room which ever is your preference...there is one cool new attraction...Petting Zoo from Afar...you know, baby Camels, Lamas etc....and for only $5.00 you get to rid a big camel for about 45 seconds...let's see, that about $3,000.00 per day for 14 days...going to buy a camel this week end...anyone got one for sell????

[Prunepicker]

We just got home from the Great State Fair! Prunette won 2nd place with
her squash and cucumber pickles and 5th with pickled garden mix. I got a
3rd place for corn relish and a 5th for tomato sauce. The blackberry jam and
tomatillo salsa didn't fare well.

Let's see the first stop was the Corn Dog exhibit then Dan's Famous Indian
Taco. The Corn Dog exhibit was exquisite and worth the $3 entry fee.

Wine in the Made in Oklahoma building!

[Prunepicker]

Here' my beef with the "Oklahoma" building. It should remain the "Made in
Oklahoma" building. That waste of space they call AGtropolis needs to go.
At least move it to the livestock barns.

[papaOU]

We just got home from the Great State Fair! Prunette won 2nd place with
her squash and cucumber pickles and 5th with pickled garden mix. I got a
3rd place for corn relish and a 5th for tomato sauce. The blackberry jam and
tomatillo salsa didn't fare well.

Let's see the first stop was the Corn Dog exhibit then Dan's Famous Indian
Taco. The Corn Dog exhibit was exquisite and worth the $3 entry fee.

Wine in the Made in Oklahoma building!

So will you be bringing blackberry jam to the next Coit's gathering?

My favorite and don't just buy any blackberry jam.

Used to get mine at the farmers market in Norman........

Watermelons as well......

No longer living there I just don't make it anymore.

Anybody seen any yellow meated watermelons this year?

[grantgeneral78]

So will you be bringing blackberry jam to the next Coit's gathering?

My favorite and don't just buy any blackberry jam.

Used to get mine at the farmers market in Norman........

Watermelons as well......

No longer living there I just don't make it anymore.

Anybody seen any yellow meated watermelons this year?

Yeah PAPA I bought one in Rush Springs and boy was it good!

[grantgeneral78]

OK State Fair attendance used to near 1 million every year back in the day.

I could go on a SERIOUS rant here, but I'll condense it to say that the powers-that-be all but destroyed the fair about five or six years ago when someone decided they had to "upscale" it away from its "funnel cake and corndog" image. They brought in a guy from Texas named Skip Wegner to run it, and he just tore the heart out of it - really trying to re-image the fair in the vein of the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. Since then, they stopped reporting attendance figures because they're down.

They raised booth rents across the board, chased out a bunch of traditional vendors, and we lost some gems like the Junior Hospitality Sub Sandwich booth years ago. When I asked one vendor where all the traditional "stuff" was, she was nearly in tears, saying "they're wanting to redo the fair, and they're ruining it. Please tell someone. They won't listen to us."

They ruined the Made in Oklahoma bulding with this "Agtropolis" nonsense, ripped out the cannas and the 14 Flags plaza, just tore the place apart. Wegner left several years ago, but the damage has been done. I'm not sure it will ever be the same. We had a chance to implement some necessary improvements, but ripped out vital organs in the process.

Our family used to go to the fair at least twice a year, but now we're doing well to get there once due to the ticket and parking price increases, the elimination of discount tickets once the fair starts...alas...

Understand there may have been some administrative issues that needed to be fixed, but what it was compared to what it is represents a great deal more than an "administrative fix."

Rant off.

Man I am glad you guys brought all this up. I too have been disapointed with what has been going on out there, seems everything out there is being set up as a horse facility strictly.

It truly is not the same fair at all.

Sometimes these over paid consultants do more damage then good, and in this case it sure fits.

[bowtieguy]

Oh man, this is like the bicycle trails in Mustang....No one out there remembers the first (and only) stuffed animal you won on the Midway????Mine was a big Purple cat and I gave it to my girlfriend at the time. Never have even tried since then...I had to carry that STUPID Purple cat all Day.....Not me....How about sneaking in under the tent at the Club Lido.....Whoa, for a young boy that was very enlightening......

Hey, I resemble that remark. It was not so much the sneaking under the tent as the sneaking up to the front row. It took years for my eyes to heal. That was the first time I ever saw a naked woman stand on her head.

[phinzup]

wow do you remember the first year that the new fairgrounds opened? we had two fairs that year----one for the semi-centenial and then the regular fair. the new ballpark came a few years later after the Oklahoma City Indians went bankrupt and Texas League Park was tore down.

I sure like our fair better than that thing we are forced to go to in Dallas if we want to see the OU-Texas game.

That would have been in 1957 when we had the semi-centennial at the new fairgrounds. My dad and brother and I went to some of the concerts there. Geezzz...am I that old now?

Remember the drag strip? They finally closed it to build the Arena.

Remember the Movie "State Fair' with Pat Boone? The grandstand scenes were filmed at the new fairgrounds.

[zipper]

I do rember a drag strip, was it over by the railroad tracks on the south side of the fairgrounds? Is the drag strip still out on council road down by the river where it was always fun to try to make a pass when the wind would blow sand all over the track.

[BB37]

I'll join the chorus of "SoonerDave is right!"

When I was growing up, we went to the fair every year, and later when I was married, my wife and I would go every year. But the first year after Skip Wagner's overhaul, my wife and I were shocked and disgusted -- so many exhibitors and vendors were gone were gone. He just ripped the heart and soul out of the fair.

We kept going for a few years, mainly for our daughter, but when she got old enough to lose interest in the midway rides, we stopped. My wife and daughter haven't been in five years or so, and I've only been back a couple of times, with my dad and brother, to get some corn dogs. Still the best thing there.

[kevinpate]

> So will you be bringing blackberry jam to the next Coit's gathering?

Blackberry jam? Sumbody's bringing blackberry jam? Need to clear my calendar if that's the case.

[Prunepicker]

I'll join the chorus of "SoonerDave is right!"

When I was growing up, we went to the fair every year, and later when I
was married, my wife and I would go every year. But the first year after
Skip Wagner's overhaul, my wife and I were shocked and disgusted -- so
many exhibitors and vendors were gone were gone. He just ripped the heart
and soul out of the fair.

We kept going for a few years, mainly for our daughter, but when she got
old enough to lose interest in the midway rides, we stopped. My wife and
daughter haven't been in five years or so, and I've only been back a couple
of times, with my dad and brother, to get some corn dogs. Still the best
thing there.

No kidding. Wagner ripped the heart and soul out of the fair. It's not nearly
as fun as it used to be. I like that the barkers have to be clean(er)
and wear a uniform and not be vulgar but other than that it's blah. There
used to be more food venders. He moved a friend of mine's cinnamon roll
truck to a place where virtually nobody went. Of course he hasn't returned.

If it hadn't been for the admission being $1, yesterday, we wouldn't have
gone. In fact we only go on Veteran's Day and Senior Citizen days.

The corn dogs are the best part of the fair. I still wish they'd dump the
AGtropolis and put "Made In" back on the Oklahoma buildings sign and put
more "Made in Oklahoma" venders in the place.

[Prunepicker]

So will you be bringing blackberry jam to the next Coit's gathering?

Blackberry jam? Sumbody's bringing blackberry jam? Need to clear my
calendar if that's the case.

Gen64 is bringing some he got after a hurricane a couple of years ago


Prunette entered some in the fair this year. It didn't win anything. I wish
we could bring a batch but it's almost gone.

[Thunder]

I was out there for 10 hours and can say they have changed a lot for the better. Rides are either new or repainted. More workers out there to keep the place clean and plenty of security.

The prices on food and drinks seem to be neutral. I couldn't know if they had gone up or down, but it is reasonable.

[grantgeneral78]

What about the year of the world famous INVISIBLE DOG!

Everytime I think back to all them people walking around with that stiff leash with the dog collar on the end, walking it around the fair like an invisible dog just cracks me up. WAY over done.

[gen70]

Do they still have the helicopter ride at the fair? I remember one year (not sure about exact year) a man and his daughter were on the helicopter (in flight) when the father jumps out. Tragic and crazy. I often think of the daughter.

[Prunepicker]

Do they still have the helicopter ride at the fair? I remember one year (not
sure about exact year) a man and his daughter were on the helicopter (in
flight) when the father jumps out. Tragic and crazy. I often think of the
daughter.

Wow! I don't remember that!

I didn't see a helicopter ride this year.

[Generals64]

Wow! I don't remember that!

I didn't see a helicopter ride this year.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------No Helicopter rides since then.....i WAS WATCHING A NEWS REPORT ON OK News .COM AND LO AND BEHOLD THE PAPA OU'S TWIN WAS RIGHT IN THE CAMERA.....What say you Papa????Can we have your autograph?????Preferably on a check.....