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

[Generals64]

Oh My Gosh, it's here the Great State Fair of Oklahoma 2009. My wife and I went to the Kansas State Fair this past week end and anyone who found out we were from Oklahoma said:..."Now that's a State Fair"....Very Prideful after about the 10th person said it. My wife has some quilts that are on tour throughout the United States and she wanted to see them is why we were in Kansas.......
I still remember the Old Fairgrounds (vaguely) when they were out by the Douglass Highschool area.....then they moved to May Avenue where they are today. Many stories and memories can come from this....Have you got one to share????

[Generals64]

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......

[rondvu]

As a kid back in the 60's, I remember that Danny Williams of channel four asked if he could join us for lunch. He even was so gracious and took some of our snacks we offered him (back in the day we took out lunch to the fair, I guess we were poor and did not know it.) To three kids it was like having a banquet with a real live movie star. Thank you Danny Williams for a great childhood memory. Sorry I never got to be on Foreman Scotty.

[Generals64]

Steve Powell (Foreman Scotty) was in our (TG&Y) booth in 1967.....I was in awe of having or rather getting to work with Foreman Scotty....The kids mobbed our booth and the parents all got Yellow TG&Y Yardsticks.....Poor kids...some of them were probably spanked with those...Steve Powell was quite the gentleman....we did however have to build a barrier between him and the kids....That was one great memory....Also, Carol Shipman (Mrs. Oklahoma) Northcutt was there one day....Carol was married to Jude (Jude and Jody) Northcutt but, she was Miss Mar Car from Taft Stadium Stock car races....The men swamped the booth...I got to escort her to her car.....And????

[circled9]

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.

[Jesseda]

oh wow lets see here, my parents would drop me and my firends off when we where like 13 and 14 ( one of those friends is now my wife). WE would run around getting all the free items from stickers-yard sticks. There wasnt fried twinkies or anything like that just the classic fair food, corn dogs that where a foot long, funnel cakes, and indian tacos, carmel apples. Man we would just eat and eat. We loved the fun houses they had we where never a thrill riding bunch just haunted houses and fun houses. The best things about the fair was no matte where you where the huge with domed building was your map (now you get lost ). We loved the fort area, the monerial was a must to do on the list, and getting into arguments with the the dunk tank clown. at sunset grabbing more food and sitting by the fountain underneath the arch and watching everyone walk around and also looking at all the free stuff we collected so far, my favorite was the little plastic orange juicer.

[MikeOKC]

One of my earliest memories involves the State Fair. My parents, brothers and I saw President Lyndon Johnson in 1964. I remember everybody was really excited.

I also remember when the fair was (I think) a 21-day fair? Then shrunk to 17 and then 15 and on and on it went. The Midway used to be several times as large as it is now and had many more shows (like a circus within the fair) than they do now.

I always loved the ham sandwich booth inside the Modern Living building, the taffy, all the food I wouldn't normally eat but at fair time.

[Jesseda]

why has the number of days the fair operates gone down?

[Generals64]

why has the number of days the fair operates gone down?

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finances and participation from the public.....The fair used to be from a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and so on until the next Sunday.... The Attendance was great and people had some money to spend....

[SoonerDave]

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finances and participation from the public.....The fair used to be from a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and so on until the next Sunday.... The Attendance was great and people had some money to spend....

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.

[PennyQuilts]

I used to spend a day there with my best friend (we're still best friends, forty years later). I loved to go by the livestock barns and check out the double wides (yeah, one foot in the trailer park - I admit it). And Funnel cakes. The Midway was sort of scary because the barkers would always try to guilt you into trying so we avoided them. A woman I knew who showed horses always tried to make sure their shows were a different day than the day they gave out yardsticks to school kids because the kids would always prod the horses in the stalls. I used to love to go through the exhibit halls and see all the jewelry and purses and stuff. There were always some scary people there, though.

[Jesseda]

soonerdave, i agree with you, i went to the state fair 2 years ago taking my kids, my wife and havent been to the fair from 99-2006 and decided to go in 2007 to see whats all new, needless to say, we hated it, the layout made areas to crowded, it seemed like there was a lot less booths then when i was a kid, and i couldnt find my way around, it lost its flair, no monerail, no planes, no fort area, i do remember the cannons, my wife and i as kids use to relax in that area with a funnel cake or sno-cone and take it all in, i miss the fountains as a well, when we where there in 2007 most of them where turned off, or not kept clean or fixed up! its sad

[SoonerDave]

Jesseda,

You are absolutely right. The fountains, the fort, the airplanes....so many of the things that made the Fair unique were just thrown away for no particular reason except, perhaps, that they aren't "trendy" or "hip." And the loss of the monorail is just abominable. They don't even use the Flowers and Gardens building anymore, and I personally think the intent is to contract the physical footprint of the fairgrounds in from the north quite a bit.

I was so angered about what they had done I fired off a letter to the fair board, my city councilman, the mayor, and a local radio station...

Perhaps a year or two later, there were kiosks at the fair that amounted to a "poll" of fair patrons asking them what they liked about the changes and the plans...the results were never made public to my knowledge, but Wegner left shortly after that fair season, if my memory serves - about 2003. I think Wegner had started to draw up plans to tear down the fair speedway, and that may be what finally got him chased - the speedway is part of the fair, and even though I'm not a racing fan, I understand its something to be preserved, not torn down.

Now, just for clarification, I'm not talking about being opposed to fixing up dilapidated structures, or enhancing things like public restroom access - those kinds of things were very much needed. I'm talking about the "hacksaw" approach to overhaul that was implemented rather than a surgeon's touch to fix and update what really needed attention, and that surely wouldn't hvae resulted in a wholesale gutting of the place...alas...

[Thunder]

I don't have much to say, but some questions.

Which side is the main entrance? All my life, I've always entered from the south side. So, the north side is the main entrance?

Why did they tear down the monorail? They still kept one section.

Do they still do the mini Spring Fair? I remember that a few times a long time ago, of course it was a lot smaller and half of the rides was inside the biggest building.

Mom and I will go the day it opens. Admission is 1 bux.

[MikeOKC]

SoonerDave said it well. The fair just isn't the fair I grew up with. I know, what is? Except that this just didn't have to happen. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, the fair was a place of fantasy and magic. Today, as SoonerDave said, it's too stuffy and staid, all the real vintage fair atmosphere has been taken away.

[papaOU]

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.

funnel cake and corn-dogs are the fair!!!!

I went to the OU-Texas game last year. The added seats were great, but they did not install any new entrance/exit gates. When the 30,000 plus added fans hit the fair crowd full steps were replaced with shuffles. Told my daughter it was the last OU-Texas game for me.

Don't remember how much it was to park, but the parking attendants pocketed the money on some vehicles and had them towed. Don't know if they targeted OK plates or not, but thank god they were caught and arrested.

[MsDarkstar]

I too have to agree with what SoonerDave & Jesseda have said. The current fair is definitely not the fair from my childhood. The last time I went, we were there about an hour & my nephew said ok, where to next? We thought for a minute, took a look around and realized we'd seen it all except the midway, which we usually avoid anyway. Made me very sad.

With regards to the original topic:

When I was a little girl, I can remember getting to take a day off from school to go to the fair. My dad was a Highway Patrolman & they had a special law enforcement discount day, just show your badge & you'd get in half price AND would get to park inside the grounds...the really good parking lol. It was something we'd do just the two of us every year...take a picnic lunch & walk around getting as many freebies as possible. I remember the yardsticks, and there was one year that AT&T had some kind of booth where they'd take your picture then give you a black & white printout of it on a calendar, all for free. Daddy had that hanging in his office for years. If it wasn't too crowded, we'd head to the midway. I never liked rides but we'd check out some of the games. I can remember him throwing darts at balloons to win me a New Kids on the Block poster, and winning me a stuffed animal making basketball shots. I also remember coming home with such "must-haves" (as an adult, I can't imagine WHY I thought I HAD to have these things lol) as a gold foil wig, a green sponge alligator on a piece of wire (looked like you were walking the gator), and cheap quality tshirts lol. To me, fair day was much like Christmas!

We'd also go as a family; usually one day was for just me & my dad, and the other time my mom & older sister & one of her friends would come too. That was the boring day, where we looked at the grown up stuff like the livestock and cars. We'd always end up in the fort area eating an indian taco from Dan's, wishing the wind would stop blowing dirt all over us. Another annual thing was the safety discussion in the car on the way to the fair, with Daddy reminding us to stay close, not talk to carnies, and to pay attention to our surroundings, with Mom always chiming in to remind us about the 2 girls that disappeared from the fair in 1981.

I still remember the mini loaves of bread that were given away and in that same building there was always an Ozarka water display where you could get paper cups & 'sample' the water. Seems like the only thing that was still around the last time I was there that was unchanged from childhood were the ice cold jugs of root beer.

[SoonerDave]

Great memories, DarkStar. The bread loaves were AWESOME. I can still remember the excitement for the day we'd go as a familiy to the fair, see the new cars, watch the local TV stations do their news live, heck I even remember back when Foreman Scotty did his show from the OPUBCO tower and we had to walk up with the "double-thumbs-up" sign to get our secret Circle-4 message decoder cards to keep messages from The Count (Danny Williams). It was AWESEOME stuff.

[papaOU]

Does not seem that long ago when I40 was closed in order to transport the B52 from Tinker to the fairgrounds.

[Generals64]

I remember the Arrows to Atoms exhibit pool that NO ONE was supposed to wade in and that rule lasted about 20 minutes...There would be hundreds of people just sitting around the pool and then someone would take off their shoes and then the pool would be full.....Lots of fun....Did you ever take firewords in with you???? they didn't appreciate it....Nor did the police...

[rondvu]

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.

[Generals64]

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.

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Right about SoonerDave. I think it was Sandy Sanders that ran the fair for a long time. While I was at the Kansas State Fair last week I had more than one say to us the Oklahoma Fair is one of the best they had ever been to...and I have to agree with them...but, the fair has slipped backwards quickly. the cost of the fair booths went completely out of sight and the small operators can't even begin to operate at the fair.....I was at the fair grounds yesterday and the Midway was pitiful......(on an errand for the wife).
You can see the obvious OVAL basketball hoops you gotta hit just right. At least don't make it so obvious guys we may live in Oklahoma but we're not Country Bumpkins.....

[Shake2005]

The Oklahoma State Fair had over a million people last year:

http://www.floridastatefair.com/pdff...rslist_web.pdf

14th largest fair in the United States or Canada.

[SoonerDave]

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.

LOL bless your heart for the vote of confidence, rondvu! I'm afraid that if anyone on the board that's still there from when I wrote my little epistle remembers me, its only because of the dart board that my letter probably became Actually, I was amazed later that week that ol' Mike McCarville read the letter on his show on KTOK!

I knew I was on the wrong side of that eight ball when I received *not one* reply from the city or the fair board.

Heck, I hate to come off like a complainer, but when change just happens for the sake of change, and it tears up something wonderful, I get frustrated. Really frustrated.

My mom used to work for the "real" AT&T back when it was Western Electric, and she actually got to work that booth they used to have in the Made in Oklahoma building where they'd take your picture and turn it into a computer printout. She'd get a VIP/Exhibitor parking pass and we'd get to park ridiculously close to one of the gates. They used to have so many wonderful exhibits in there!

BTW, I'm glad to know the fair actually did hit 1M in attendance last year!

[Generals64]

LOL bless your heart for the vote of confidence, rondvu! I'm afraid that if anyone on the board that's still there from when I wrote my little epistle remembers me, its only because of the dart board that my letter probably became Actually, I was amazed later that week that ol' Mike McCarville read the letter on his show on KTOK!

I knew I was on the wrong side of that eight ball when I received *not one* reply from the city or the fair board.

Heck, I hate to come off like a complainer, but when change just happens for the sake of change, and it tears up something wonderful, I get frustrated. Really frustrated.

My mom used to work for the "real" AT&T back when it was Western Electric, and she actually got to work that booth they used to have in the Made in Oklahoma building where they'd take your picture and turn it into a computer printout. She'd get a VIP/Exhibitor parking pass and we'd get to park ridiculously close to one of the gates. They used to have so many wonderful exhibits in there!

BTW, I'm glad to know the fair actually did hit 1M in attendance last year!

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I really enjoy the fair ... smell and all....My wife enjoys going through the exhibits and I enjoy being with her.....(don't tell her that'') you know, you gotta complain sometime.....I like to go to the animal barns and the cars..
I wish the fair would get a little more countryfied like it use to...Thanks for standing up for us Soonerdave....we can send them another letter if you want....