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L.B.
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10 months ago
in State Fair: Say Wha? on Nashvillest
I am an avid Nashvillest reader and do sometimes agree with the "who cares" views on some of the events and happennings in Nashville and surrounding areas but what Nashville transplants fail to realize is that you have somewhat moved to the country. Although where you choose to live is masked by concrete, buildings and clubs you are just a hop, skip and jump away from real country life and dreams that are lived out on acreage where farmers do still exist. Maybe the Tennessee State Fair events aren't important and overlooked by some but to many Tennesseans it is still a lot of fun to be a part of. Cow milkin', corn shuckin' and tractor pullin' is what we do. And if I hadn't already eaten the one delicious and enormous watermelon that my garden produced this year I may have entered it in the largest watermelon contest and would have been tickled to death to have won.
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No one here is under the impression that a state fair should have anything BUT cow milkin', corn shuckin' and tractor pullin'. That makes a state fair, and every state fair has these events, even in the hippest parts of the country. No one expects the state fair to come complete with an art gallery and a trendy coffeeshop, or to showcase the newest in modern architecture. We're not transplants from somewhere "more impressive," there's plenty of farming where we're from in Virginia too. Heck, I had an organic egg business when I was 8 and spent most of my younger years in 4H hatching chickens and raising ducklings in the back yard. And I may or may not have entered some veggies and some paper mache sculptures and some crocheting in the state fair while I was at it.
However, it's no secret that the TN State Fair is in trouble. Attendance is down every year and the grounds are run down. There's been endless talk about what to do with the state fair over the past few years, and next year we're likely to see big location changes. Our state fair is notorious for crime and poor security, although the alcohol ban this year is supposed to help, along with beefed up security. Many of the county fairs around Tennessee are a more exciting and pleasant/safe place to be, and that's reflected in their growing attendance numbers. Where's the flavor of Memphis and other unique Tennessee cities at our state fair? We're in the Music City, where's our A-list country showcase at the state fair? Our state fair needs some serious CPR.