Florida Fair News Old Times Are Not


Forgotten At The Fair Gerald Ensley


You might think in these sophisticated times that ol’ time regional Fairs have become passé. You might think in an era of Disney World, the Internet


and 500 television channels, people wouldn’t cross the street to gaze at cows, play in a tub of cotton or even enjoy a traveling carnival ride. But you’d be wrong. For three straight years, the North Florida Fair has set attendance


records, drawing more than 100,000 visitors a year, topped by last year’s 103,000 visitors. Mark Harvey sees no reason the Fair shouldn’t keep on attracting people. “I think, with urbanization, the Fair is more relevant than it was 50


years ago,” said Harvey, the Fair manager. “For some kids, the first cow they ever see is at the Fair.” The North Florida Fair is held at the Leon County Fairgrounds. It is


the 75th anniversary of the Fair, which began in 1939. Because the Fair was not held for a few years during World War II, this edition is billed as No. 73. Many may attend the Fair just for the thrills of the midway: stomach-


churning carnival rides; stomach-pleasing “fair fare,” such as corn dogs and funnel cakes; and the numerous games of chance — all of which can make a dent in your wallet. But for Harvey and his staff of seven, the challenge — and satisfac-


tion — is in providing the Fair’s wide-ranging array of entertainments covered by a single admission ticket. The focus is on agriculture: Regional Fairs began as a way for farm-


ers to showcase their crops and livestock. The North Florida Fair still awards about $80,000 in cash prizes (called “premiums”) to those who display their cattle, pigs, flowers and plants, and it annually gives two $1,000-a-year scholarships to students who study agriculture-related fields in college. The Fair has exhibitions about sewing, canning and baking. Twenty-


four North Florida counties set up booths to advertise their agricultural products, from oysters to livestock to watermelons, peanuts and vege- tables. Many of the exhibits are interactive, such as the big tub of fresh- picked cotton visitors are encouraged to paw, pull apart or even roll in. “Some kids never learn more about agriculture than they learn at the


Fair,” Harvey said. But the “free” attractions are many. A visitor can watch the acrobats-


on-horses of Cavallo, the Frisbee-chasing antics of Disc-Connected K- 9s, the exotic creatures of Animal World, an automobile demolition derby and the popular pig races. The Fair includes an art show, community music and dance perfor-


mances. The Fair now owns all the interactive science exhibits from the defunct Brogan Museum, which include such diversions as a giant maze and a cannonball-drop air tube that shoots a tennis ball into the air.


Harvey’s tried to temper a family’s expenditure, by creating the unlim-


ited-rides wristband ($15 weekdays, $25 weekends). But he reckons a family also can spend five hours at the Fair on little more than the cost of that admission ticket. “I don’t pay attention to the entertainment — but I pay attention to


those who watch the entertainment,” said Harvey, a Tallahassee police officer for 25 years before taking over the Fair in 2005. “Parents and


Several of the Clay County Fair Directors and staff visited the Volusia County Fair. While visiting, the group also had the chance to meet with the Deggellers.


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grandparents probably get as much pleasure watching the kids have a good time as the kids.” The appeal of a Fair never dies for some people. People like Charles


Ragsdale. Ragsdale, 71, is a retired engineer and scientist in the San Francisco


area. He spent 44 years designing medical and science equipment for national laboratories and private industry. His numerous professional highlights include helping design mapping methods used in the human genome project. Ragsdale also is a Tallahassee native who graduated from Leon High


in 1961. Ragsdale’s father was William Ragsdale, known to a genera- tion as Willie the Weatherman, Tallahassee’s first television forecaster. William Ragsdale, a talented engineer and musician, wore a bowler hat, puffed on a pipe, played the organ and gave weather forecasts on WCTV from 1955 to 1976. Charles Ragsdale is also an author, who has written 63 self-


published books about things that interest him. That list includes books about history, language, inventions and science fiction. And Fairs. Ragsdale has written a two-volume history of 51 current and former Fairs in Florida, as well as a book on the Florida State Fair. Last year, he wrote a book on the North Florida Fair. It’s predomi-


nantly a photo history, with several photos of the annual parade Talla- hassee held downtown for the North Florida Fair in the 1950s and 1960s. “Many Fairs used to have parades. Most would (march) to the fair-


grounds, and that’s when the Fair would open,” Ragsdale said. “Tallahassee never did that because it was too far to the fairgrounds. But the parade was still fun.” Ragsdale is a big fan of Fairs. He’s been to more than 25 of them in


Florida and California. He likes to talk to the visitors, take photos and research the history. “Every single Fair has a different personality to it; I haven’t found one


yet I couldn’t describe and tell you what makes it different than the rest,” Ragsdale said. “I like the North Florida Fair the best. Maybe be- cause of the memories of growing up there. Like preferring your mother tongue, that’s my mother Fair. “But it’s also the most family oriented. In California, I see families


come to the Fair then all split up and go do different things. At North Florida, most families are walking around together.” Having an apparently eternal good time. Contact Gerald Ensley at 850-599-2310 or gensley@tallahassee.com.


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