Florida Fair News
Citrus County Fair News The 2016 Fair ends, 2017 Tractor Pull Plans Begin
The Fair was a success, the exhibits looked great. The commercial vendor displays were very well received by our patrons this year.
The Entertainment line up this year included Matt’s Family Jam, Fritzy
One Man Circus, Oscar, Show Me Safari Petting Zoo and Robinson’s Racing Pigs (Congrats to Randy & Sharon). We had a fact finding scav- enger hunt for our livestock exhibitors. They had to go all over our grounds and get facts about our Fair. It was great fun. The Livestock Shows and Sales were tremendous again this year. The youth are fortu- nate that the community always supports their projects. Belle City Amusements provided a week of fun and excitement on the
Midway. We had Helicopter rides again this year. Jerry Perryman’s Antique Tractor and Engine display brought back
fond memories to many patrons. The Convention was enjoyed by all of us. The learning and sharing and
networking is a valuable tool. We enjoyed the fellowship with our “Fair Family.” Summer will be an exciting time for the Citrus County Fair. We will
be working on our Grant Projects and the upcoming Tractor Pull Jan. 27- 28, 2017.
Matt’s Family at right. Carnival Eats at
the North Florida Fair
Prior to the 2015 North Florida Fair, I was contacted by producers of a TV
show called Carnival Eats. They were going to be in the area and inquired about filming some fair food and featuring some food vendors at the fair. For those not familiar, Carnival Eats is shown on the Cooking Channel and features some crea- tive and decadent foods that you can only find at fairs. I thought this would be a good opportunity to showcase both the fair and the food at the North Florida Fair. I jumped at the opportunity. Filming for the show begins early. We don’t open until 5:00 pm on weekdays
so most of the show was filmed prior to opening. The show only wanted to feature unusual foods so some of the vendors and their menu were submitted to the pro- ducer in advance for pre-screening. They were contacted by the producer in ad- vance of the fair and the itinerary was set well before the fair started. We began at 8:00 am. I was asked to tag along to the filming, not for any appearance on the episode but to provide some type of security to cut down on noise and prevent “photobombing” of the shooting. All of the selected vendors had to provide the food and were filmed preparing their selected menu item and were interviewed while preparing. The TV host provided dialogue and helped prepare the food. I’m happy to report that the filming went very smoothly and was completed in about 5 hours. All before we opened. The next phase of the show is the “man in the street” portion and it is the only
portion that takes place while the fair is open. Random guests were selected and were shown the food and asked to try the food. Their expressions and comments were filmed as well as them eating a bite of the food. Everyone was impressed by the food. On May 19, 2016, the episode titled “Dumplings and Pumpkins” featur- ing the North Florida Fair was aired. I have to admit I was impressed by the quali- ty of the show. Fairs and fair food are showcased in a way that is impressive and respectful of the vendors and fairs but is done in a fun and entertaining fashion. The film crew and the producers were easy to work with also. If you are ever offered an opportunity for your fair to appear in one of these episodes, take it. You won’t regret it. I have a link to the episode but I can’t share it publicly due to copyright issues. If you are interested in viewing the episode, contact me person- ally and I will share the link and password with you.
FAIRCRACKER-SUMMER 2016
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