I suggest anyone interested go to the court house and ask to see the bills from the fair, as you read the bills that are submitted by the fair board you will see that the fair not only charged the Kiwanis's for the utilities used at the Pavilion but the fair charged the Kiwanis's for 15 days while being there only 5 days. Charging the Kiwanis for the entire heating cost for the entire fair grounds. There is always more to the story. The usual cost to heat the pavilion on a normally cold Dec. day at its worse was around $60.00 per day. Granted last year it was exceptionally cold and we all know that the heating bill would have increased, but not to the extent that the fair charged.

Since the Kiwanis's do many community services and rely on donations and fundraisers to make their community projects work, I cannot for the life of me see how the fair board in good conscience could even consider to charge the Kiwanis for the use of the pavilion to fill holiday food baskets.

The fair grounds receive their funds from the taxpayers of the county and state funds, which in turn are collected from, guess who, the taxpayers. Columbia County recently gave the fairgrounds $50,000.00 of taxpayer funds. In my opinion, if the fair grounds feel it necessary to charge the Kiwanis to help out the less fortunate at Christmas, maybe the fair grounds should not be receiving taxpayer dollars for their entire year round budget.

Where as the fair grounds receive funds from all our property taxes, the rub with me is the very people who have struggled this year from the poor economy, losing jobs, getting hours cut, still have managed to pay their property taxes which the fair gets a portion. These are many of the very souls who need a simple helping hand this holiday season, which the Kiwanis are trying to help, and the very same folks who have supplied the funds for the fair. It is simple to figure out, the fair depends on funds supplied to them year round for their existence and gladly accepts donations and money from the taxpayers property taxes but cannot be fair and compassionate to the very people who guarantee their survival, but would gladly make it nearly impossible for the Kiwanis to fill all the needed baskets for the less fortunate of our neighbors again this holiday season.

Every year like clock work this issue pops up, the fair grounds want to be on the receiving end of community support but unfortunately they do not like to return the favor. The yearly scrooge like action taken by the fair board leaves a very bitter taste in the mouth of many citizens of the community including myself. I find it harder and harder to muster any sympathy or support for the fair and its board.

I could understand charging any and all groups who want to use the pavilion to make money, but to charge a group who only wants to give back to the community is absurd. The Kiwanis is a group where people work diligently and tirelessly to donate out of the kindness of their giving hearts.

I question the fairness of the fair board, if I have reviewed the tapes of the fair board meetings correctly, I understand that the fair let the Friends of the fair host a poker, Texas Holdem tournament with out paying for the use of the fair grounds, the buy in would cover the cost of the winning pots of the players and the rest would be given to the fair to purchase ribbons for next years fair. While this is a great idea from the Friends of the fair, I question the Free usage of the grounds, if the fair can allow free usage to the Friends of the affair there is no reason that the Kiwanis can not be given the same privilege. After all, the taxpayers are paying for the fairs existence and the wages for the staff of the fairgrounds year round, and all other associated expenses. This fair has not been self-supporting for many years. I find it troubling that as tight as funds are, why the commissioner would continue to pour good money after bad to support a one side entity as the Columbia County Fair.