The Wilsons went to the Lancaster County Fair -- I can't bring myself to call it the "Super Fair" -- yesterday. Yes, that's right, we went on a miserably hot afternoon. Talk to The Missus about that.
I don't know if the fair is particularly "super", but there is a heck of a lot more activity at today's county fair than there was back in my day. It's no State Fair, but I'm not sure it needs to be. It's enough of a fair to satisfy most Lincolnites' appetites for a fair experience each year, and that's probably what organizers are after. The State Fair folks out in Grand Island can't be happy about that. Even the midway is surprisingly adequate. Granted, my expectations for fair midways are pretty minimal. But my kids were pleased, and I never once thought I was going to die while riding the ferris wheel.
Still, it is "just" a county fair. You can only squeeze so many exhibitors out of Lancaster County. That limits browsing time. And only so many people are going to be interested in going to a county fair. As a result I think stretching the fair to 10 days is a mistake. I think a five- to seven-day fair would be more "dense" and therefore more enjoyable.
Now about those tickets. The "official" word is that you have to go to U-Stop to get your free tickets so that you can get in. You don't. The "tickets" are nothing more than U-Stop coupons, albeit extremely fancy coupons. I appreciate that U-Stop is probably forking over some large amount of cash to support the fair. Good on them. But telling customers to jump through a lame and unnecessary hoop is off-putting and insulting. The tickets need to offer value to fairgoers or nobody will get them. The policy of not requiring a ticket is a good one. But how about those people who do show up with a ticket can redeem it for ... well, something. An even better U-Stop coupon perhaps. Anything to convert the ticket from a burden to a reward.
Who else among you have been to the fair, or plan to go this week? What are your thoughts on the experience?
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