FLORIDA FAIR NEWS continued..……………………………………..…………….…. Northeast Florida Fair
The 2011 Northeast Florida Fair was held October 13-23 in
Callahan. This year’s theme “Fresh, Fall, Fun” was displayed throughout the grounds. The grounds improvements that were made was noticed by all. Hildebrand Rides offered a variety of rides and games for the entire family. Fair entertainment featured kid’s act Rowdy Rooster, magician Just Paul, and a variety of local entertainers. Other competitions included arts, crafts, and canned and baked goods prepared by all ages. Nassau County school exhibit booths were decorated and highlighted the Fair’s theme. As always, the Fair was a time to showcase youth in the community and support 4-H and FFA projects. If you didn’t get to visit us this year please mark your calendar for next year. Our Board, staff, volunteers, vendors, and exhibitors promise to make you feel right at home. For more information, please visit our website
www.neflfair.org.
Is Re-Location in your Future? By Mark Harvey, Manager, North Florida Fair
Sooner or later, many fairgrounds are faced with the possibility
of re-locating their facility. In our case, it is because the North Florida Fairgrounds has been in its current location for over 60 years. At the time of purchase, the fairgrounds were on the out- skirts of town. During that time, Tallahassee and much of Florida has grown and now our fairground is virtually in the middle of town. Plats of developable land consisting of over 100 acres in the middle of town are rare. Real estate developers practically sali- vate over chunks of land that are centrally located. Governments practically salivate over the possibility of putting millions of dollars of land on the tax rolls. But, just how practical or feasible is it to move a fairground? The real answer is “it depends.” First, let me give you a little history. Even though the fairgrounds
was a private land purchase by the North Florida Fair Association, the land was deeded to Leon County in 1959 in exchange for a long term lease. The Fair association has tenants’ rights but would not profit from the sale of the land. In the case of the North Florida Fairgrounds, a “perfect storm” of
Broward County Fair—36 Years For 36 years the Broward County Fair has been a family tradi-
tion in Broward County and South Florida. The Broward County Fair focuses on the importance of local
horticulture and agriculture, by exhibiting the many ways the arts and sciences currently impact our community, and our every day lives. Broward County has rapidly become suburbanized, and the Fair serves as a way to bring the budding community back to its roots. South Florida is a great place for showing off horticulture, where
the flora blossoms all year. From fruit trees to flowers, we have it all and the best of the best will be on display at the Fair. There will also be a variety of farm animals to see such as pigs, cows, rab- bits, and cavies. Fair contestants of all ages will get a hands-on learning experi-
ence by entering their homegrown blooms or groomed animals in premium contests, while participants will benefit from viewing the displays. In addition to displays and exhibits, the Fair will also feature
spectacular midway rides, live entertainment, daily contests, and of course, all of your classic “Fair Food.” The Fair is also home to the Miss Broward County, and the Miss Teen Broward County pageants. There will be plenty to see and do at the Broward County Fair,
which operates Nov. 17-27. Due to a 9-day no school vacation, which coincides with the
Thanksgiving holiday, families and community members will have plenty of time to take advantage of all that the Fair has to offer. We will also offer a variety of deals and promotions, so that all
families can enjoy a day, or two, or more, at the Fair. We are of- fering free admission from noon until 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for our patrons. We appreciate the importance of kinship, and commend out-
standing family members and citizens by recognizing those nomi- nees who are named as Broward County Fair’s “Parent of the Year,” “Top Teen,” and “Teacher of the Year,” among others. We are proud to have been named as a Blue Ribbon Fair for
2010-2011, by the Florida Federation of Fairs, and recognized as one of the top Fairs in the state.
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events have already occurred. The city has grown to the point that many see the current fairgrounds site as potential for retail estab- lishments, housing, or many other options because of its central- ized location. Wal-Mart has already offered to purchase a portion of the land but was turned down. Suitable land would have to be procured in order to re-locate. In our case, the U. S. Forestry Ser- vice has about 100 acres of land that fronts a 6-lane bypass that they cannot maintain and want to dispose of. Federal law requires that the land be offered to local government first at fair market value, which is currently around $2.5 million. It still seems like a reasonable goal considering that the current 100+ acre fairground would be placed on the tax rolls creating further income for the County. So, what has turned a seemingly good idea into a not-so- good idea? The economy. The current economy has caused many corporations to scale back on building and expansion of their organizations. The land is suddenly not as valuable as it was before the economic downturn. What would normally be a “no- brainer” of a decision for the local government to place land on the tax rolls is now a political hot potato. Buying land and installing an infrastructure for an entity that already exists (fairground) is seen as a luxury and not a necessity. The last thing a politician wants to be accused of these days is being wasteful with tax dol- lars. Even with the “perfect storm” of events, movement of the North
Florida Fairgrounds does not seem likely in the foreseeable fu- ture. Even with the Federal government, local government, and private developers pulling for you, a little thing like dollars keeps getting in the way. I guess that is the way it will always be. If you are ever faced with the question of relocation, run, because the position you will become most familiar with is “twisting in the wind.” It seems everyone has control but you.
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