Well once again the fair board has decided to make some changes at the fair, the beer garden is the target. Some people believe that it will be a change for the good. Rhonda wants to have a walk around beer garden where fair patrons can drink beer while wandering around the grounds. The St. Helens Elks, whom I thought did a very good job for many years, ran the old beer garden. I for one will be sorry to see the Elks go.

I also understand that there have been some disagreements between a couple women who think they are the fair, and members of the Elks Club. Is there a reason that the fair wants to ousts the Elks? I think that the Elks provided a great service to the fair and kept the local drinkers corralled in one spot, and they also ran the barbequed chicken dinner. Which is the only reason that many people attended the fair, was to buy that yummy chicken dinner. I guess the days of a family atmosphere at the local fair will be considered bygone memories.

I understand that the fair will have security individuals, which will walk around the fair grounds checking and monitoring the walk around beer drinkers. Just what we need half drunk people arguing with rent a cops who think that they are tough guys, there will no doubt be fights, yelling, rowdy, individuals that will ruin the outing for other people who want to come to the fair and have a relaxing day with their kids and friends.

Instead of resorting to booze as a way to get people to attend the failing fair, why don't the fair board act on some of the ideas that was presented to them last year in ways to improve the fair, these ideas would have brought more people in from all corners of the county, raised kids participation and added interesting projects from each high school in the county, it would have also been a little friendly competition between high school boys, through welding, carpentry, or other shop classes.

The fair could have offered a decent amount of prize money for this event, and they would have made up for the money through ticket prices, food, etc by families that came to see their kids shop work.
I know that this would have been a good idea because the fair use to have these kinds of events years ago and there was a lot of participation from all the county's schools. After all that is what a County fair is suppose to , an event that draws exhibitors from all sections of the county.

Instead, all fair patrons can guzzle beer at the beer stands through out the fair grounds, and a once family event can become a booze fest.