More than 160 people responded to a survey posted on the Hamilton County Fair’s web site. Visitors were asked if they want the fair to stay in Carthage (62 percent said yes); Would you consider a donation to the Fair, if the Fair Board set up an account with a local bank? (68 percent said yes); and If we set up a Foundation would you support our efforts even if the Fairgrounds are moved? (56 percent said yes). Participants were also invited to offer suggestions. Here are some of them:

I think you should also advertise more thru local guilds, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, church groups and revive the interest in the fair.

Start advertising the fair sooner, send brochures to the libraries in June instead of a week before the fair, get more sponsors -- I have exhibited sewing at the fair for years -- two of my grandchildren also exhibited in crafts this year --- where were all the Quilters this year -- publicize much more and get more individuals to exhibit at the fair.

I suggest that there be more advertising for the Fair, with yard signs.

These are three of the dozen suggestions to advertise it more)

Why couldn't they bring 2 pop cans or cans of food and be admitted? This could replace Free Admission and generate a lot of goodwill

Save the fair! Keep it in Carthage and keep the old buildings - there is more charm and history in those old buildings than could ever be in something new that's built - it should be a beloved part the fair's history! Bring in new ideas every year - how about a hot dog eating contest or a quilt show like the ones they've had at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Cincinnati Nature Center - ask the Ohio Valley Quilters Guild to do a Carthage / Hamilton County fair quilt celebrating the history of the fair or raffle off a quilt. Havea green exhibit - showcase how to grow your own vegetables in small urban backyards with sustainable agriculture and how to live green or even compost. Promote use of heirloom seeds (not the genetically modified bioengineered stuff we see everywhere). Have a farmer's market where fair goers can purchase locally grown produce. Incorporate new ideas while maintaining the tradition and history of the fair.

Consider adding something like a cornhole tournament that will appeal widely in Cincinnati. More container gardening exhibits? More emphasis on music and art (there are plenty of talented local bands)? I wonder if there's some way the Fair Board could partner with other organizations like Kiwanis to put on a better fair in the years to come? Or maybe a local radio or TV station? Or perhaps the weekly Community Press or even the Enquirer would be willing to be co-sponsors? Finally, the publicity needs to be beefed up. Flyers about the fair were supposed to be available in local libraries a couple of weeks before the fair opened. I never saw any.

Lastly, consider adding something like a cornhole tournamet that will appeal widely in Cincinnati.

Tractor Pull

Big Band and Dance Competition    (like Dancing with the Stars)

More Vendors

More Rides

Grandstand Entertainment    (Something besides Demolition Derby Every Night)

More Exhibits

Face Painting for Children

Side Shows    (like Cincinnati Zoo Bringing Animals to the Fair)

How about a horse show.  A real one.  Walk/trot/canter classes and maybe even low level jumping.  There are a whole lot of people in the area that have horses and participate in the Winton Woods shows.  A show at the Fair would be great.

How about honest to God real fair judging in these classes?  How about making it easier to enter and pick up entries after the Fair?  People have to work for a living and the pick up time is absolutely not convenient to people who work for a living. What is this crazy stuff with the class numbers for art changing after all these years?  Make it easier for people---not harder.  Advertise ahead of time--give people a little more warning that there actually IS going to be a Fair. Encourage new entrants--Yes--but don't make former entrants want to quit.  How about an "old time" Fair?  Harness racing, tractor pulls, and decent rides.  There wasn't even a carousel this year, and there have not been pony rides for years.  More vendors with fun things like jewelry that can be engraved and items that actually say Hamilton County Fair on them.  A dunking booth and maybe even pie eating contest.  and free parking for any one who buys a regular Exhibitor ticket.

We need to encourage more youth in the community to get involved in the fair.  Maybe free exhibitor entries for certain ages????

I think the Fair should really emphasize aspects of being green in the city, whether it is growing and canning your own food, how to grow food in a small area, (containers, etc.), more edible landscaping, beekeeping, permaculture, rain gardens and rain barrels, etc. We need to be focusing on food security as individuals and as communities as oil prices increase (and raise food transportation prices) and we must look to local for our food. Movies on this would be a good addition if they can be shown somewhere cool and dark!  Also a speaker or two each day.

Try putting some farm machinery on display with some explanations of the use and purpose.

Be able to buy discount tickets.  Local/new artist to perform.

Suggestions: 1) Appeal to the county at large as a community, not just Hartwell and Carthage. No one comes because they don't feel involved. 2) Get the word out sooner. Premium lists didn't arrive in the mail until July. That doesn't give potential exhibitors time to plan. The impact showed in the low number of entries in needlework, crafts, antiques, food. People who are entered come to the fair and bring their families and friends. You need to cultivate participation in the contests. (For instance, at a time when knitting is at an all-time level of popularity, it's nonsense that there were hardly any knitting entries.) 3) Consider a program to get churches and community groups to sponsor and run games at the fair instead of the car companies. There was a dreadfully low number of games this year; it's not something I personally care about, but it added to the sense of diminishment and emptiness, which was just depressing. 4) Instead of striving to serve the present, reach back to the past--make it an "old-fashioned" fair, recreating days gone by and giving the public a taste of nostalgia (which often goes down well).

I guess the Demolition Derby is fun for some folks but you might want to consider something else as a main draw for a night or two. Live music from local bands might be one way to start. Have a battle of the bands night or something like that.

Some of my suggestions:

More farming equipment - tractors, plows, discs, harvestors. Farming exhibits - and this takes some planning. Start out in very early spring and plow then disc a swath of ground. Plant some crop - maybe 12 rows or so as early as possible. Tend it during the year. Then, in mid to late June, do the same thing. Then during the Fair, have a couple of days that show how food is produced. Have a tractor plow the ground and then disc it, as well as a fertilizer spreader to uh, spread fertilizer; have another tractor cultivate the growing crop; and then another machine to harvest the crop. People can see what goes into growing food. Then have the equipment on display. For bonus points, and to create a real county fair atmosphere, find a farmer who has a manure spreader and spread some manure over the part that was just plowed.

A Tractor Pull. Actually a whole evening of them, from Lawn and Garden through the Super Big Boys. At other county fairs, these are huge attractions.

Battle of the Bands is another Grandstand Event. Do it Wednesday or Thursday evening, when the bands are more likely not to have a gig to do. Find a radio station or music equipment store (or both) to sponsor it.

Kid's Days/Kid's Hours - Fun, free things for kids to do. Sack races, balloon toss, a kiddie tractor pull (I have a pedal tractor you can use). One day should be during the week, another on Saturday or Sunday so that working parents can bring them. Need people to run the events? Look at churches, fraternal organizations, PTAs and Scouting groups. One ad I have recalled for years appeared in a July issue of a magazine: Are Your Ready for the Christmas Shopping Season - Call Us for Ideas to Get More Customers into Your Store. The ad was by some ad agency whose slogan was - The Company That Thinks Ahead.

Cut out free admission - well, in a way. Partner with businesses in the county and sell - sell, not give - them admission passes good for whatever days or hours you want. Make it able for them to buy just an admission ticket for the hours of 11-2, Wed-Friday (for $1 each or whatever) or a ticket that includes admission, rides and parking that is good for any day.The businesses can use the tickets to encourage people to shop their store or as rewards for employees or shoppers (Buy $50 of groceries and get a Free Admission Ticket for the Hamilton County Fair). This is not something that will be hard to do - volunteers can take flyers to stores or the Fair can rent a mailing list and send a form letter to every business in Hamilton County. Yeah, the response rate is only about 2 percent. But if a few Chain Stores say yes, and 2 percent of all the other businesses in the county participate, it might be possible to sell hundreds of passes.

Contact the Schools - This is a great source of entries in Photography and Drawings and probably other areas. Don't require individuals to purchase an Exhibitor's Pass - let the school submit a list of kids that are entering and what they will display.

Let people purchase Exhibitors or Membership passes on the web site. It can be set up so the funds are transferred directly into the Fair's bank account with a message sent to Clare so she knows who to mail the appropriate ticket to. It costs a very small amount, maybe 50¢, per transaction. But it would make it much easier for people to do what they want.

Give a free booth space to any 501(c)3 organization that wants one. In exchange for the space, sell them admission tickets that will allow their members entry and parking at a very reduced rate. Target Chambers of Commerce, schools, neighborhood associations and, most importantly, communities. Invite Greenhills, Mt. Healthy, St. Bernard and every other city to have a booth to promote their place. Furthermore, all the neighborhoods in Cincy have a budget they can use. If the fair was to set up an area just for the different communities/cities/neighborhoods, there could easily be another 50 booths.

Partner with Duke Energy to sponsor an energy saving and generating display. Partner with a landscape/garden store to show things such as container growing, sowing seeds, germinating plants, organic pesticides and soil testing. I think a lot of gardeners would love to have their soil tested. Invite all the garden clubs in the county and give them free booths or offer them a booth for a small cost and let it include free admission.

Have a food preservation display and demos. Pressure canning, vacuum sealing, dehydrating, pickling, blanching and freezing, the whole gamut.

Take advantage of the web site, forum and mailing list to get committees together. The directors are already busy, have a committee to organize and find people to run Kid's Games (free) or a Cornhole Tournament. A committee to get more farming and "green" displays, such as the garden club, COSI's Farm Display and a Landscape/Garden store.

 

Suggestions

To Improve

The Fair