Florida Fair News
Building for the Future By: Paul Davis If you’ve driven by the Flori-
da Strawberry Festival grounds lately, you may have noticed an enormous pile of concrete rubble, trucks carry- ing tons of steel or pylons
stretching as high as the eye can see. On March 20 we began work on our largest construction project to date – new seating for our headline entertainment soundstage. The Florida Strawberry Festival began its tradition of headline enter-
tainment back in 1972 with the “Queen of the West” Dale Evans. Mrs. Evans’ husband, Roy Rogers, was actually the one invited to be the in- augural headliner. But with his unavailability, Mrs. Evans volunteered to travel to Plant City instead. Since that time, the headline entertainment portion of the event has grown from one headliner to now 24, and we’ve made some adjustments: built a permanent stage, added bleachers, etc. But we’ve really just “made do” hosting some of the country’s most popular entertainers in what used to be our high school football stadium. We’re currently in our seventh month of the project, and it has been a
little taxing. But, in the midst of it all, we remind ourselves of our initial goals with this venture: 1) create more comfortable seating with backs 2) give patrons a much closer, more comfortable view of the stage 3) create a more intimate audience environment for entertainers 4) create more sellable seats. We always desire to give our patrons the absolute best
experience, and this decision was really based around them. Another consideration that led us to tackle such a project was the im-
mense entertainment competition we have in our area. New music festi- vals are popping up every month it seems, and the competition for pa- trons is ever-increasing. With this in mind, we want our entertainment experience (and every other part of our festival, really) to be current and desirable for our patrons when choosing which events they visit. While entertainment is certainly a draw for guests, it does not solely
project will bring to our 83rd event and every festival hereafter. We are not naïve to think that transitioning to new seating and buildings will be easy changes for every one of our guests. But it is the responsibility of those of us in the fair industry to anticipate and prepare for the future, and we believe in our hearts that we are creating a better experience for current visitors and those to come later. If you have any questions about this project, please feel free to contact
comprise the identity of the Florida Strawberry Festival, and this project would allow us to improve one of our other esteemed areas – our ven- dors. In addition to the seating, we are constructing an enclosed building adjacent to the soundstage with approximately 55-65 spaces. These brand new spots will be more comfortable for both vendors and guests. We are truly excited about the level of improvement this construction
me. As with any construction project, we have learned quite a bit along the way, and we would be happy to offer any advice we have for con- struction projects in your fair’s
future.PS – We feel pretty confident in the strength of our building materials. We got an early, unsolicited quali- ty test named Irma, and not even she could put a scratch or a dent in it!
JacksonvilleFair.com, we've officially unveiled our 2017 #JaxFair concert lineup!
A broad range of top performers such as: Tyler Farr, Russell Dickerson, Little Texas, WAR THE BAND, LOCASH, Spin Doctors, The Lovin' Spoonful and many more will take the stage during the 12-day event, treating audiences to everything from classic rock, to pop, country, blues, and golden oldies.
All entertainment will be held on the outdoor stage and will be FREE with admission to the 2017 Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair!
Also: Robinson’s Racing Pigs Firefighter Show Kachunga & Alligator Show………..AND MORE
FAIRCRACKER-FALL 2017 17
We hope to see you at our 53rd annual Saint Lucie County Fair in 2018. Mark your calendars to be there Friday, February 23rd thru Sunday, March 4th, 2018. Advanced tick- ets will go on sale Friday, December 1, 2017.
Best Wishes to BARBARA KANE
Retiring Manager of the SUMTER COUNTY FAIR
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