Chemung County Fairgrounds - Is There A Better Way To Utilize Them?

[Kevin 528]

3 hours ago, Hal said:

No … I see this as the truth . I grew up in ,and around , the Fair community , with very few exceptions the Fair was timed around the first of the month . Now was this to draw the “welfare “ crowd ? Without having taken an official “ who’s who” count all those years there is no way to prove this out. But dollars to donuts most would have the same thought as Zapp whether or not they speak it out aloud. I know most of us spending all day at the Fair all those years would! 

Now , I would have to agree that the New Committee is doing a Damn Good Job against all the odds they have faced!! 

I actually asked about that at the last meeting. They mentioned we are told when we can have it. They can try to move it, but have to ask and get permission to change the dates. I didn't think to ask who they have to ask. Maybe NYS Ags and Markets since it is an agricultural fair. 

I appreciate all the compliments and the fact people are looking at maybe attending the fair again for the first time in 5, 10, 20 years. We have been working hard. This year is just the first year in our plan to bring it back to its glory days of the 80s and 90s when everyone went to the fair. 

I am sure more updates will be posted giving information as informative and accurate as the post above is. 😂

Concert ticket sales are going real good, if it's something you are thinking about maybe going to and you want box or track seating, I would not wait till day of to buy them. 

 

[Chris 3,628]

I hope you guys sell out. Both for your sake as well as to give the Oak Ridge Boys a good Chemung County send off.

[Hal 609]

1 hour ago, Kevin said:

 

I am sure more updates will be posted giving information as informative and accurate as the post above is. 😂

Not berating those on public assistance Kevin , and of course there is no official data to be had to back up Zapp or myself . Nonetheless there you have it if only from experience 😉! 
But again Kudos to you folks for volunteering to be on the Fair Committee and of course hoping for a Great Turnout! 

[Kevin 528]

1 hour ago, Hal said:

Not berating those on public assistance Kevin , and of course there is no official data to be had to back up Zapp or myself . Nonetheless there you have it if only from experience 😉! 
But again Kudos to you folks for volunteering to be on the Fair Committee and of course hoping for a Great Turnout! 

That comment wasn't meant to be a jab at yours. It was for the one 2 above yours that gives an update on what's happening at the fair this year. 

 

[Hal 609]

9 hours ago, Kevin said:

That comment wasn't meant to be a jab at yours. It was for the one 2 above yours that gives an update on what's happening at the fair this year. 

 

Dammit Kevin you know how much I like to argue and now I need to apologize! I’ll make it up to you next time I see you … 

[command_prompt 299]

13 hours ago, Chris said:

I hope you guys sell out. Both for your sake as well as to give the Oak Ridge Boys a good Chemung County send off.

Sorry, couldn't help myself. 

 

Edited June 8, 2024 by command_prompt
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[Kevin 528]

17 hours ago, Chris said:

I hope you guys sell out. Both for your sake as well as to give the Oak Ridge Boys a good Chemung County send off.

That would be nice or even close to a sell out. 

[Kevin 528]

Every fair has a carnival, but carnivals do not have fairs

The difference between a fair and a carnival is what happens away from the grandstands and midways. 

What I mean by that is years ago a fair was where the community got together and had fun and took a break from their day to day duties. 

Did you know they judge almost everything at a fair. Even if you are not a farmer, you can enter things to be judged in the Chemung County Fair . 

Do you like to paint? Well they have a judging for oil & acrylics and separate one for water colors 

Maybe you just like to draw, got a class for that. 

You like to take pictures? They have a black & white and a color class you can enter. 

None of that interests you what about 
Ceramics, woodcraft, macrame, crocheting, embroidery or hand knitting? 

Guess what, we have classes for all those. 

You like to make quilts or other type of clothing? We got you covered!

Cakes, Pies, cookies, breads? Guess what? All can be entered! For these categories in addition to the sample submitted to the display building a separate plated sample needs to be dropped off at the AG building with my name written on it for a separate judging. 😉😉

Maybe you have a fantastic garden, why not enter some of your flowers, fruits and or vegetables? Come on, we want to see you tomatoes and cucumbers!! 

You have no garden, but you have a house full or maybe just 1 really cool plant!  They judge them also. 

These things are just a few of the many things they judge in addition to the cows, pigs, rabbits, chicken, guinea pigs and jackalopes!
 
Well, maybe not jackalopes! 

It is easy to enter also. First thing you have to do is pay a $15 fee to join the AG Society. Then you pay the entrance fee. 

I know what you are saying it is probably expensive to have things entered, but if I win I will be rich. (Insert evil laugh while rubbing hands together)  Well, no and definitely no! 

After you join the AG Society the fee to enter things that are not alive is between $.30 and $.70 with somethings up to a $1.00.

The winner wins a different amount based on the category but for most it is between $2 and $5.  So you will not be rich, but if you win you get a cool blue ribbon and bragging rights for a year. 

I mean who doesn't want to brag they have the best houseplant in the county for a year? 

You can enter as many categories as you want. A like to the exhibitor guide is below The first link is the animals and the other stuff starts at the 2nd link. 

I would love to see people I know enter and win the categories. 

If you need any help in entering for the first time or the 20th the first page has contact information for the superintendent of your category.

[Chris 3,628]

I was looking at the page this week and looking at the sponsorships. In addition to the businesses and all that, there's a few local elected officials who also kicked in and supported the fair monetarily:

I'm pretty sure I was told that an email was sent out to all county and city officials, as well as some townships, seeking support for the fair. This is all that kicked in?

Thank you to local leaders Rodney Strange, @Lawana Morse, Joe Donovan and Bill Schrom for literally putting their money where their mouth is. As well as all the other sponsors of course. 

Maybe next year some more of our elected representatives can follow their lead. 

[Kevin 528]

Lawana also volunteered to go in the dunking booth!  😂

[Lawana Morse 94]

While this is not fair related, it is agricultural which fits in this discussion. The latest Ag Census data came out early this year and since then, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Chemung County has been working to put all that data for Chemung County in easy to understand formats for all of us. For those of you that are interested in how agriculture has been changing in the county, you may find this interesting. 

Side note, I took on the presidency of the county Farm Bureau last October and we are looking for members for the chapter but also active farmers (of any commodity) to join our board. We have quite a few vacancies and honestly, I don't want to be president for another year 😂
I need committee or non-committe members to help with various aspects to help bolster the county numbers and presence in the community. 

So if anyone reading this is a member or is thinking about it or wants more information about joining - you do not have to be a farmer to join! - feel free to drop an email at ChemungCountyFarmBureau@gmail.com  or see me at the fair in the cabin! (Except when I'm in the dunk booth...then you can come see me there and try your best to dunk me!)

Edited June 13, 2024 by Lawana Morse

[Kevin 528]

23 hours ago, Chris said:

I'm pretty sure I was told that an email was sent out to all county and city officials, as well as some townships, seeking support for the fair. This is all that kicked in.

I was the one that sent out that email. The elected officials sponsorship package was something we started earlier this year, but it was not announced or publicized much. Basically they are prepaying for admission passes to give out how they want. 

After we got a ride company I saw many of the elected officials post on FB and other social media they supported the fair and believed in the Ag. Society all along. 

So I figured I would send them an email letting them know about the sponsorship packages. I  and figured I would receive numerous replies. 

While I appreciate any and all support for the fair and the changes we have made, Lawana was the only one that replied to me.  The others listed had already committed. 

 

[Adam 589]

3 hours ago, Kevin said:

While I appreciate any and all support for the fair and the changes we have made, Lawana was the only one that replied to me.  The others listed had already committed. 

mark of true Leaders rather than politicians

[Chris 3,628]

I saw this a short time ago:

Hi Friends 

I want to thank everyone that has shared my posts about the upcoming Chemung County Fair . 

Many of you know, but some don't know that the fair is organized by a group of volunteers that sit on the "fair board". The fair board is part of the Chemung County Ag Society.

While some people think the fair is a line item in the county budget, it is not. The fair relies on sponsors to be able to do what we do every year. 

Those free shows you see like the hypnotist, magician, Mr Scribbles, the animal balloon guy are all paid to be there in varying amounts. 

This year the fair is hosting 8 local bands that are also being paid to be there. 

Without major sponsors the fair would not happen. 

This year the new board created a new sponsorship level called the elected official sponsorship. 

Once the new ride vendor was announced I saw many elected officials post that they supported the changes and looked forward to seeing the fair this year. 

At that time I sent an email to every elected county official and legislator. The email also went to every City and Village council person, mayor, and or town supervisor that I could find an email address for.  In total the email was sent to about 40 people.

The email gave them all an update on the progress of the fair and asked if they would like to sponsor the fair either with a monetary donation or a donation of time in the dunking booth. 

Of those about 40 people only Legislators Rodney J. Strange,  Bill McCarthy, and Joe Donovan along with Sheriff Bill Schrom were the ones that stepped with a monetary donation.

Legislator Lawana Morse was the only person that replied and in addition to a monetary donation offered a time donation in the dunking booth. So watch her page to see when she will be doing that. 

If your legislator, councilperson, and or mayor is not listed feel free to ask them about it. 

For the record County Executive Chris Moss has helped the board out all year  Village of Horseheads Mayor Kevin Adams sits on the board and has also been vital in bringing change to the fair this year!

[Chris 3,628]

Just in case anyone thinks Chemung County was the only fair to face difficulties this year, I'd say they did an extraordinary job. It could have been worse:

[Twin Tiers Living 558]

Hey @Kevin how are sales looking for the Oak Ridge Boys show? Getting low of available seats I hope?

I saw @David Rockwell posted about a bus trip to bring folks up from PA for the show. I don't remember ever seeing that before, it's a great idea!

[David Rockwell 6]

3 hours ago, Twin Tiers Living said:

Hey @Kevin how are sales looking for the Oak Ridge Boys show? Getting low of available seats I hope?

I saw @David Rockwell posted about a bus trip to bring folks up from PA for the show. I don't remember ever seeing that before, it's a great idea!

This was Kevin's idea and a great one at that. It offers seniors a chance to see the Oak Ridge Boys for the final time and not have to deal with traffic.

[Kevin 528]

On 7/4/2024 at 12:34 PM, Twin Tiers Living said:

Hey @Kevin how are sales looking for the Oak Ridge Boys show? Getting low of available seats I hope?

I saw @David Rockwell posted about a bus trip to bring folks up from PA for the show. I don't remember ever seeing that before, it's a great idea!

Ticket sales are going good. Still plenty of seats available, but the number gets smaller everyday. It's the first year the in-person box office wasn't opened the same day as tickets went on sale.

[Kevin 528]

The fair starts Wednesday. Big changes are happening, I hope to see everyone there. 

[Twin Tiers Living 558]

Quote

 

The Chemung County Fair opens for its 182nd year Wednesday, and regular fairgoers will notice some major changes.

For one, the fair used to operate over six days, Tuesday through Sunday. This year, the event will be four days and will wrap up Saturday.

That's being done as a cost-saving measure, primarily due to labor laws that require overtime for people who work the fair rides, according to Mark Watts, president of the Chemung County Agricultural Society, which runs the fair.

"When it was six days, people came to the fair when it opened at noon, but rides couldn't open until 4 p.m.," Watts said. "With four days, we can open the rides at 1 p.m."

 

Source

[Kevin 528]

Had an almost sold out crown for the demolition derby. 

[Kevin 528]

If you did not make it to this year's fair, you missed a great event. Last year they had 8 rides and about 12 vendors. This year was 20 rides and over 50 vendors. It was a great event and the board worked hard to make it successful. It's only year 1 of bringing it back to the glory it once had. 

[Chris 3,628]

Excellent job!!

[Chris 3,628]

Nicely done!

Now can we get that year round farmers market and convention center built? I'd love a place to get fresh(er) produce. 

[Beekeeper 91]

Chamberlain Acres hosts a Farmer's Market on Sundays.  Not sure if it is year round.  I have a CSA with Muddy Fingers Farm and pick up my fresh vegetables every Monday between 3-6 PM at Grove Park during the summer.  In the winter, the pick up is at Chamberlain Acres instead.  I see signs there on Sunday mornings during the summer on my way to church. I have never stopped to see how many vendors they have.

I do think if Wisner would change the market to a different day, we would get more farmers.  Wednesday is also Corning's Market day and most of the CSAs and vendors are in Corning on Wednesdays.I think it is time to admit that with Corning, Inc nearby, Corning will always get first picks.  Why don't we just change our day?