Despite all the hoopla Democrats brought to Denver last week and despite outrageous gas prices, folks still trekked to Pueblo to celebrate our state’s agricultural roots at the Colorado State Fair.
Excuse us, while we shout, “Yee- haw!”
Initial attendance numbers were behind those of 2007. But then Monday, the last day, came and state fair spokeswoman Christi Lightcap announced, “It’s pretty packed out here today.”
She wasn’t kidding. By our calculations, about 47,000 revelers showed up on Labor Day to push the 11-day total to 486,658, slightly more than last year.
Just a few years ago the viability of the state fair was in question. We even suggested last year that perhaps organizers should consider moving the fair from Pueblo to Larimer County, where it might draw more visitors considering more than 300,000 people would live within minutes of the fairgrounds.
But it’s hard to argue with the late Gov. Ralph Carr, who in 1940, when marking the construction of a new agriculture facility at the fairgrounds, said: “These buildings . . . stand as a promise that the State Fair is forever Pueblo’s.”
The fair began in 1872 at Lake Minnequa in Pueblo County. It was moved into Pueblo proper in 1903 and has been there ever since, promoting the hard work of farmers and ranchers and spotlighting the state’s 4-H and FAA youth.
That’s where it should remain — as long as it remains financially feasible.
So far, it looks hopeful. A financial boost from taxpayers, thanks to the 2006 state legislature, helped pay off two loans and the fair now receives an annual $550,000 for operational expenses. And the efforts of the fair’s management team is revving up programs and booking entertainers to draw 21st century crowds.
These are the kinds of commitment that the state fair deserves.
