For the first time in eight years, starting this month, Adair County will have a fair.
The last time carnival lights shined in Adair County, it was 2016.
Plenty has happened in the fair’s long hiatus. One thing that has not changed, however, has been a communal desire for it to come back.
“People in the community have been saying they want a carnival,” Amanda Page of the Adair County Fair Association stated. “They want something for the kids.”
On Facebook, reactions to the fair’s return were ubiquitously positive. Several reflected on their favorite games and rides from past fairs. Others said the fair was a force for bringing the community together.
It is clear for many that the carnival represents a site of childhood nostalgia, and they would like to relive these memories or share them with their own children.
Carnivals and county fairs also serve as a testament to the fact that fun and thrills can be had no matter where one lives or how small their hometown is.
Telissa Moore commented, “As a child, I remember going to watch the horse races with my pa! As a parent my kids always enjoyed and looked forward to the kid day events and the all-day free rides and they also enjoyed going to the rodeo, truck pulls… The county fair is often the only fun thing so many kids get to experience in the summer as not everyone can afford to go on vacations.”
Removed from personal anecdotes, the Adair County Fair has a long, storied history. The first true fair was held in 1884, lasting four days, much like this year’s will. By the next year, 1885, the fair was opened with an address from then-Kentucky Secretary of State, James A. Kensey, and the Louisville Legion Band played live.
For the 1902 fair, historian Mike Watson describes it as “a sensation.” It was the county’s centennial and the fair doubled as a sort of “homecoming.” Thousands with connections to Adair County flocked back home from across the country to enjoy a hot air balloon and a wooden merry-go-round.
From 1884 on, the fair had been held on Fairgrounds Street. In 2016, however, the property was sold to Lindsey Wilson College. The sale left the Adair County Fair Association “homeless,” according to Page.
In 2019, the Bank of Columbia gifted the Fair Association its current property near the Industrial Park off KY 55 south. The donation came with a challenge: the land was sundeveloped—so much so that it was difficult to penetrate the “wall” of growth, as another member of the Adair County Fair Association described it. This “wall” would need to be cleared before any Ferris wheels could be planted there.
Preparing the land and reestablishing the fair was further halted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Around three years ago, T-Mobile gave $50,000 to help with clearing the property. In 2022, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture awarded the Fair Association a $93,000 grant to build bathrooms, which are under construction along with a pavilion and meeting area.
Finally, this year, all the parts fell into place for the fair to return.
“Everybody is so elated… everyone we talk to (about the fair) has an instant smile on their face,” association president Charles Grimsley said.
This year’s carnival is free for the public (save for a $5 parking fee) made possible thanks to pledges from local businesses secured by the association.
The carnival will run from July 31 through August 2 beginning at four p.m. and closing at nine p.m.
On August 3, the hours are extended all day, with the carnival being open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The carnival is being operated by the Great American Carnival company from Madisonville.
In addition to a carnival, this year’s fair will see a 4-H & Cloverbud Floral Hall where children can compete with vegetables they have grown as well as with arts and crafts. Winners can advance to the Kentucky State Fair. 4-H will also have poultry, rabbit and dog shows on August 1. On the last two nights of the carnival, there will be pageants and Tiny Tots events. Pageants have a five-dollar admission fee.
By Kenley Godby
kenley@adairvoice.com
