by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
There has been a fall fair in Jacksonville since the 1920s. Only the Florida-Georgia game and the Gator Bowl game have brought more people Downtown for more years than the fair. Ninety years ago the Florida State Fair was an annual event in Jacksonville and 55 years ago a local effort took over production of the livestock, gardening and cooking competitions and the carnival Midway.
The 55th Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair opens today at the Jacksonville Fair & Expo Center in the Sports Complex. It offers 12 days of some of Florida’s finest animal husbandry, a carnival and plenty of live music.
The biggest change this year is a new amusement company that’s providing the rides and concessions. Belle City Amusements, Inc. is a family-owned and operated business and has been providing carnival entertainment throughout the Southeast for more than 60 years. The company bills itself as “America’s Cleanest Midway.”
Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair Vice President of Marketing Gayle Hart said, “We’re having a brighter, shinier carnival this year.”
More than 60 rides will be running in the Midway and about a dozen are new to Jacksonville’s fair.
Tradition is also important, Hart added. It is after all an “agricultural” fair. More than 100 members of the 4-H Club and the Future Farmers of America will be exhibiting their prized livestock from rabbits and chickens to cattle.
The Men’s Garden Club of Jacksonville is bringing their plant sale to the fair again this year. Club member Bernard Gandy was helping stock the tables Tuesday morning and said the club is selling everything from small potted plants to azaleas and most of the plants are less than $10. The proceeds are used to fund the club’s scholarship program.
The Greater Jacksonville Fair Association also raises quite a bit of money each year for scholarships. Part of the money comes from tickets sales and this year there’s also a raffle for a 52-inch Sony HDTV home theater system with proceeds benefiting the Fair Scholarship Fund.
“We award more than $20,000 to local students each year,” said Hart.
Other local economic impact includes a donation to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure from Fleischman’s Yeast Company for every entry in the various cooking competitions.
There’s also a lineup of country music entertainment that will be on the Main Stage every evening and the show is included with admission to the fair. Many other attractions are also included at no additional charge, especially those that appeal to children like “Jump! The Ultimate Dog Show,” “Kachunga and the Alligator Show” and Robinson’s Racing Pigs.
Hart said more than 400,000 people attended last year’s Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair and she expects just as many this year. Fall fairs are part of the American experience.
“It doesn’t matter where you grew up in this country, you have memories of the fair. I think it’s so popular because people either want to relive their own memories or create new memories with their children,” said Hart.
For the complete schedule visit www.jacksonvillefair.com.
A new company will debut its carnival this year and they have brought dozens of new rides plus all the old favorites.
Some of Nashville’s most popular artists will perform on stage each of the 12 nights of the fair.
Old McDonald’s Farm is where hundreds of youngsters will exhibit their prized rabbits, chickens and larger livestock.
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