BIG SPRING, TX — The very first Howard County Fair was held in 1912. After it made a steady return after WWI, it held steady year after year and saw a change in fair board members.
Current Howard County Fair Board President Derek Wash, told KBest News that the fair was shut down in 2008 due to a lack of participation. It was later revamped in 2010 and it made a return.
Wash told KBest News that change can be good. Over the years the Fair Board has worked toward the goal of providing family entertainment at an affordable cost. This has been done by adding activities and contests, and spending thousands of dollars to revamp the fairgrounds.
Some of the recently added activities include things like a BBQ cookoff, car show, youth rodeo, high school hot dog eating contest, and a “Globe of Death” that involves a motorcycle stunt rider inside a flaming orb. Live entertainment also includes dueling pianos, a singer/songwriter showcase, karaoke contest, a Game Show Night, and a performance by award-winning country music band Lonestar. In addition to these activities, there’s also a wide variety of vendors, food trucks, and a carnival.
The only thing that hasn’t changed over the years has been the arts and crafts, and baked and canned goods portion of the fair – until now.
“We are going to revamp that because it calls for it. You can see it. We have the same exact thing turned in a lot of years – year over year – like bringing back the same canned good that wasn’t re-canned that year, or the same arts and crafts,” said Wash.
He went on to say he would have expected to see new entries every year, but said that’s not the case.
“We’re just putting the same blue ribbons on them over and over, and, like, we’ve got a great display for it but we wanna make sure it’s something that’s bringing people out and attracting people. If not, we’re not using our space wisely. We’re being poor stewards of the Fair Barn that we’re blessed with,” he continued.
For more information on the Howard County Fair, visit hcfairtx.org.
Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the Arts and Crafts portion of the Howard County Fair and the need for volunteers.
(Photos: Howard County Fair, Facebook)
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