# Everything Else > Arts & Entertainment >  Great State Fair of Oklahoma or just Ok County Fair

## okcboy

The faigrounds is Hotel Motel tax funded as well as MAPS 3 funded and it still doesn't provide the OKC citizen's what they want all because they want more $$$$. Pay Parking, Higher Admission, Higher cost/ Restrictions for vendors thats past on to the consumer including mandating purchase of all Food/Beverage/ICE product from approved suppliers at inflated prices, and basically no attractions (No Space Needle, No Monorail, No Grandstand, No Full Rodeo, class B concerts at best, elvis impersonators, Oklahoma Opry, racing pigs, birthing farm animals, and the Disney on Ice. Is it really a great state fair or a OK County Fair. Talk to your council person.

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## ljbab728

Sounds to me like you just shouldn't go then.

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## okcboy

> Sounds to me like you just shouldn't go then.


I don't go anymore. I just remember a great fair we had and over the last ten years it has gone way down hill with no foreseeable plan to bring it back like it was.  Maybe fairs are the thing of the past and city leaders are killing it off. Who knows. Just feel if we are going to do a fair it should be a top 5 one. Tulsa's is now better than ours. Sad to see it continue to go downhill.

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## catch22

Ah the Tulsa State Fair....

Makes me laugh everytime. The State of Tulsa.

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## Fantastic

> The faigrounds is Hotel Motel tax funded as well as MAPS 3 funded and it still doesn't provide the OKC citizen's what they want all because they want more $$$$. Pay Parking, Higher Admission, Higher cost/ Restrictions for vendors thats past on to the consumer including mandating purchase of all Food/Beverage/ICE product from approved suppliers at inflated prices, and basically no attractions (No Space Needle, No Monorail, No Grandstand, No Full Rodeo, class B concerts at best, elvis impersonators, Oklahoma Opry, racing pigs, birthing farm animals, and the Disney on Ice. Is it really a great state fair or a OK County Fair. Talk to your council person.


I have NEVER paid to park at the Fair... Yes, there is paid parking, but honestly I would rather not pay and walk.  And don't get all whiny about how far away free parking is from the gate.  "Whaaa... It's SOOO far to walk! boo-hoo!"  Not any farther than walking to the entrance at the mall in mid December because you had to wait for a bonus check before you could buy the sports cards at On Deck for your mom's annual addition to her OU collage.  But then again, I don't mind that walk either.

I agree with ljbab.  Just don't go.  I have gone every year since I was a kid, and yeah, ALOT has changed (some for the better, some for the worse), but my family and I always have a good time, probably because we are not the kind of people who are constantly looking for something to complain about, or for some reason why this or that USED to be better.  We just go and have fun.  Some years are better than others, but even in the worst years of the fair we somehow find a way to enjoy it rather than somehow finding a way to hate it.

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## BBatesokc

I'm with OKCboy in as much as I agree that our fair isn't an event that is worth getting excited about or making plans around. The wife and I haven't gone together since our son moved out, 3 years ago. The last few years we'd spend $100+ and only be there a couple of hours. We always left realizing we wish we'd spent our money and our time somewhere else. I had to go last year for work and told the wife it hadn't changed, so we didn't go, and have no plans to go this year. We've actually gone to some county fairs around the state and in Texas and definitely find those more appealing. I'll save my time and money for some of the fall festivals (Greek, Octoberfest, etc.) and pass on the (not so)Great State Fair of Oklahoma.

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## Jesseda

> I'm with OKCboy in as much as I agree that our fair isn't an event that is worth getting excited about or making plans around. The wife and I haven't gone together since our son moved out, 3 years ago. The last few years we'd spend $100+ and only be there a couple of hours. We always left realizing we wish we'd spent our money and our time somewhere else. I had to go last year for work and told the wife it hadn't changed, so we didn't go, and have no plans to go this year. We've actually gone to some county fairs around the state and in Texas and definitely find those more appealing. I'll save my time and money for some of the fall festivals (Greek, Octoberfest, etc.) and pass on the (not so)Great State Fair of Oklahoma.


totally agree on everything you said, my wife and  I took the kids a couple years ago to the fair and it was way overpriced (which was expected)  and the fair seemed to be unorganized. The fair now is a complete mess to what it was a decade ago, instead of the fair this year we took the kids to Frontier City the new owners have cleaned it up and it looks a lot better then it did 10 or so years ago.

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## GaryOKC6

We take the kids to Disney on Ice every year and are going this Saturday.  My youngest daughter (5) has a ball and I still enjoys everything there.  I love the food and people watching.  I think I have the most fun watching my daughter on the kiddie rides.  The fair has always been expensive but so is going to an OU game that you can watch on TV for free.  I still go anyway.  Nothing is free anymore and things are getting more expensive all the time.  I expect to have to pay.  When it gets too expensive for me I will not go.

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## BBatesokc

The expense never bothered me, other than gate admission, you have total control over what you spend. To me it was this overwhelming sense of too many missed opportunities for fair organizers. When I go to a county fair my expectations are on another level. When you go to the 'State Fair' the bar should be higher and they continually miss that bar.

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## GaryOKC6

> The expense never bothered me, other than gate admission, you have total control over what you spend. To me it was this overwhelming sense of too many missed opportunities for fair organizers. When I go to a county fair my expectations are on another level. When you go to the 'State Fair' the bar should be higher and they continually miss that bar.


I guess it all depends on each individuals expectations.  I personally get all that I expect from the fair. I mainly go for the Disney on Ice, food, and to walk the buildings.  This year I am also going to shop for a new metal building.  I will go twice.  Once with my daughter for the kids rides and Disney and again for looking at the vendors in the buildings.  Oh and did I mention the food.  Nothing like funnel cakes cinnamon rolls and "greasy" corn dogs.  It keeps the cardiologists in business.

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## SoonerDave

> I don't go anymore. I just remember a great fair we had and over the last ten years it has gone way down hill with no foreseeable plan to bring it back like it was.  Maybe fairs are the thing of the past and city leaders are killing it off. Who knows. Just feel if we are going to do a fair it should be a top 5 one. Tulsa's is now better than ours. Sad to see it continue to go downhill.


That's the decision our family made. We used to love going to the fair. Then they ripped out all the things that made it worth attending. And then they  jacked up the price for, well, everything. 

My personal opinion is that TPTB ultimately would be just as happy to kill off the OK State Fair entirely, tear down what's left, and build more horse barns. They use strawman reasons to remove popular exhibits and features, then they can claim attendance is down, decry decreasing revenue, and then just kill it off entirely. I just wish they'd be more honest and up-front about their motives.

I miss the State Fair that had Junior Hospitality subs, the monorail, cannas, the space needle, and the original "Made in Oklahoma" exhibit, not this idiotic Agtropolis that reminds me of some perverted Disney on Acid nightmare. Good stuff is: Gone, gone, gone, gone, and gone. Why on earth would I dump $50+ for my family just to get in the door??

And anyone on this forum for a few years has very possibly already seen my (lengthy) rant on how the fair was destroyed, so I won't repeat it here...

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## okcboy

Welcome to the Minnesota State Fair

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## Jesseda

> That's the decision our family made. We used to love going to the fair. Then they ripped out all the things that made it worth attending. And then they  jacked up the price for, well, everything. 
> 
> My personal opinion is that TPTB ultimately would be just as happy to kill off the OK State Fair entirely, tear down what's left, and build more horse barns. They use strawman reasons to remove popular exhibits and features, then they can claim attendance is down, decry decreasing revenue, and then just kill it off entirely. I just wish they'd be more honest and up-front about their motives.
> 
> I miss the State Fair that had Junior Hospitality subs, the monorail, cannas, the space needle, and the original "Made in Oklahoma" exhibit, not this idiotic Agtropolis that reminds me of some perverted Disney on Acid nightmare. Good stuff is: Gone, gone, gone, gone, and gone. Why on earth would I dump $50+ for my family just to get in the door??
> 
> And anyone on this forum for a few years has very possibly already seen my (lengthy) rant on how the fair was destroyed, so I won't repeat it here...


To me I thought the Monorail, the the fort, the planes everything the fair had 10 or so years ago made the Oklahoma fair unique, I cant think of any other state fair that has a monorail. Why did they tear all these down when it was  the highlights of the Oklahoma fair ?

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## GaryOKC6

> That's the decision our family made. We used to love going to the fair. Then they ripped out all the things that made it worth attending. And then they  jacked up the price for, well, everything. 
> 
> My personal opinion is that TPTB ultimately would be just as happy to kill off the OK State Fair entirely, tear down what's left, and build more horse barns. They use strawman reasons to remove popular exhibits and features, then they can claim attendance is down, decry decreasing revenue, and then just kill it off entirely. I just wish they'd be more honest and up-front about their motives.
> 
> I miss the State Fair that had Junior Hospitality subs, the monorail, cannas, the space needle, and the original "Made in Oklahoma" exhibit, not this idiotic Agtropolis that reminds me of some perverted Disney on Acid nightmare. Good stuff is: Gone, gone, gone, gone, and gone. Why on earth would I dump $50+ for my family just to get in the door??
> 
> And anyone on this forum for a few years has very possibly already seen my (lengthy) rant on how the fair was destroyed, so I won't repeat it here...


I guess this means that I won't be seeing you there this Saturday dave.

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## Larry OKC

As far as the Monorail, IIRC part of it was in the way for something they wanted to add/expand. That and as the Monorail aged, it was becoming more expensive to find replacements parts etc. I take it that the Space Needle is still not fixed? With todays heavy rain it probably got flooded again anyway. Sigh

They used the money issue as the excuse to tear down the Grandstand (although it cost them more to tear it down than the estimate was to fix the "issues"). But they had to have a reason so they could make way for the new building funded in MAPS 3. 

Big Sigh

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## GaryOKC6

I loved going to the races at the Grandstand and wish they would have built a new one.  Was it also the noise issue?  I live in crown heights and could hear the races at my house on fiday nights.  I kind of miss that as well.

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## SoonerDave

> I loved going to the races at the Grandstand and wish they would have built a new one.  Was it also the noise issue?  I live in crown heights and could hear the races at my house on fiday nights.  I kind of miss that as well.


The real issues were that what I call the "tea and crumpets" influence within city government saw the Grandstand as ultimately redneck and, _to them_, embarrassing, and hence engaged in a strained effort to construct a strawman argument to rationalize tearing it down. Same reason they tried to do "tea rooms" at the fair (no, I'm not kidding) in an effort to overcome what one city leader said was the "funnel cakes and corndog image" that State Fairs have. 

Its been a steady war against the fair for some years now.




> I guess this means that I won't be seeing you there this Saturday dave.


I guess not, LOL  :Smile:   :Smile:

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## metro

> totally agree on everything you said, my wife and  I took the kids a couple years ago to the fair and it was way overpriced (which was expected)  and the fair seemed to be unorganized. The fair now is a complete mess to what it was a decade ago, instead of the fair this year we took the kids to Frontier City the new owners have cleaned it up and it looks a lot better then it did 10 or so years ago.


Goes to show private vs. public run organizations.

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## RadicalModerate

At least The Fair t' Middlin' Sorta OK Semi-Mediocre Neo-Elitist OKC Fair always brings us a little rain . . .
Rain that falls on the just and the unjust privates and publics in a collective way.
Ya' gotta give 'em that . . .

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## RadicalModerate

> Welcome to the Minnesota State Fair


Thanks for the accuracy in media vis-a-vis State Fairs.
(So . . . Can you explain the difference between a Pronto Pup and a Corn Dog? =)
(Or how it is possible to have Walleye with Spaghetti on a stick? =)

Amazingly, The Great State Fair of Minnesota was ranked only 10th in a recent survey of Great State Fairs.  How fair is that?

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## UnclePete

The Iowa State Fair is my favorite and has been for a number of years.  They actually have farm animals to look at and they stay for the entire run.  Seems like the Oklahoma State Fair is for people to sell stuff (that you really don't need), and for people to have a lot of opportunities to buy beer, and a lot of opportunities to get thrown in jail; and for a lot of policemen to get extra work.  The Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson is also great.






> Thanks for the accuracy in media vis-a-vis State Fairs.
> (So . . . Can you explain the difference between a Pronto Pup and a Corn Dog? =)
> (Or how it is possible to have Walleye with Spaghetti on a stick? =)
> 
> Amazingly, The Great State Fair of Minnesota was ranked only 10th in a recent survey of Great State Fairs.  How fair is that?

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## BBatesokc

The moment the best thing they could think of to market was 'Clean Bathrooms' and they should have realized they had a problem.

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## GaryOKC6

> The moment the best thing they could think of to market was 'Clean Bathrooms' and they should have realized they had a problem.


I would agree but my wife on the other hand......the "clean bathrooms" were the BEST thing that ever happen out there according to her.  Didn't much matter to me.  i guess it is a guy thing.

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## RadicalModerate

> The moment the best thing they could think of to market was 'Clean Bathrooms' and they should have realized they had a problem.


How much do they charge for that ride?




> The Iowa State Fair is my favorite and has been for a number of years. They actually have farm animals to look at and they stay for the entire run. Seems like the Oklahoma State Fair is for people to sell stuff (that you really don't need), and for people to have a lot of opportunities to buy beer, and a lot of opportunities to get thrown in jail; and for a lot of policemen to get extra work. The Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson is also great.


The only problem with the Iowa State Fair is that you have to cross the border into Iowa to attend it.
Yet, the same holds true if you wish to drive from Oklahoma to The Great State Fair of Minnesota so I guess it's a wash.

I did notice that the ramp up to the [St. Paul] Fair Grandstand wasn't up to ADA or EPA "standards" so I guess it will be next on The List . . .
(not 1 in 12 / too much lead paint and grease from the doughnut stands in the air and on the non-compliant handrails . . . but should you "venture" up there, there's Advil on a Stick at the other end. =)

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## SoonerDave

> How much do they charge for that ride?


Ride? Heck, no. It's a game on the midway. You win if you clean them all in under 2 hours  :Smile:

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## RadicalModerate

Maybe Mayor Mick (and The Grandstand Hatin' Cabal of Major League Cityans) can move The OKC Fair downtown and have contestants work on Cleaning Up Bricktown and The Canal.

It would actually be closer to The Original Location over there on Eastern that was replaced by a school.
And is closer to The Ballpark and Other Entertainment Venues.

(just kidding . . . geez.  really. OKC is 1000% better than it was in '73.  =)

Still waiting for the definitive difference between a Pronto Pup and a Corn Dog . . .

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## Achilleslastand

I bet our city fathers would find a way to make the fair better if it were in bricktown.
Until then its second rate.........

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## BlackmoreRulz

Dang, I guess I'm not the only one.....thought I was just getting old.....

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## Roadhawg

> The Iowa State Fair is my favorite and has been for a number of years.  They actually have farm animals to look at and they stay for the entire run.  Seems like the Oklahoma State Fair is for people to sell stuff (that you really don't need), and for people to have a lot of opportunities to buy beer, and a lot of opportunities to get thrown in jail; and for a lot of policemen to get extra work.  The Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson is also great.


The Nebraska State Fair is the same way.  I just haven't been too impressed with the OK State Fair.

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## Easy180

Went today, great weather, good food, cold beer and came home with bloody mary mix...Love me some fair

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## SOONER8693

It's a joke. Add to the list of things gone, the Cottonwood Post.  Compared to the State Fair of Kansas, Texas, Iowa, ours is a pathetic joke.  Didn't used to be.

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## MadMonk

Went last night.  Same ole same ole; it was crowded, but the mob wasn't unruly.  All in all a pleasant night.  The highlight was all the Okla. wineries in one place and doing a lot of tasting.

I also learned that my tolerance for spinning rides gets lower every year.   :Dizzy:   Guess I'll stick to the ferris wheel and the ski lift ride from here on out.   :Wink:

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## Easy180

> It's a joke. Add to the list of things gone, the Cottonwood Post.  Compared to the State Fair of Kansas, Texas, Iowa, ours is a pathetic joke.  Didn't used to be.


So you are saying it is worse than 3 other fairs which means its on par or better than the other 46....Sounds good lol

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## rcjunkie

> It's a joke. *Add to the list of things gone, the Cottonwood Post.*  Compared to the State Fair of Kansas, Texas, Iowa, ours is a pathetic joke.  Didn't used to be.


The Cottonwood Post has been gone for 5--6 years.

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## adaniel

I have been in OK for 7 years now and I just got a chance to go to the fair for the 1st time this Saturday. I can only compare it to the TX fair (which I went to as a kid growing up in DFW) and the GA state fair. IMO I would put the fair here way above the one in GA and just a few notches below TX. The fair in Dallas is superior only because its a bit bigger, and I loved going to the car show. Other than that I had just as much fun at the fair here this weekend. I also found the OK fair is way cheaper than the one in Dallas. To get into the gate down there its $16. Plus everything is bought with tickets, but a corn dog is now like $10 worth of tickets and they are not nearly as good as they use to be. 

Definitely saw the "fair people" some have alluded to including some pretty sweet mullets lol. It was all good fun though and I can guarantee those types of folks exist at every fair. Also, loved me some indian tacos.

My one and only complaint is would it kill them if they threw some gravel in the free lots? NW 10th street was a muddy mess, and the parking lot was a joke. Cars slipping and spinning all over the place. I'm sure it was a total fiasco on Thursday when it rained, although I'm sure the tow truck drivers made a killing pulling people out of the mud. I just coughed up the money and paid to park in a nice, paved lot. 

Other than that I had a great time!

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## RadicalModerate

> The Cottonwood Post has been gone for 5--6 years.


The beginning of the end of the "Great"-ness for the OKC Fall (State) Fair.
Is it true that They installed a Starbucks at the former location of The Goodholm Mansion?

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## GaryOKC6

I took the kids on Saturday.  I thought that this year’s Disney on Ice was one of the best.  They loved to.  We walked the whole thing and sampled the food.  The kids rode the rides until they were all too tired to carry on.  I took them to the games on the midway and let them win some of the overpriced crummy prizes which was worth the enjoyment.  I spent about 140.00 and thought that it was well worth it for a whole day of entertainment for the Family.  (also considering that the beer was $6.00 each).  It was what I expected, nothing more/nothing less.

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## metro

What's new on the food scene this year?

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## GaryOKC6

> What's new on the food scene this year?


Well there was certainly a lot of food to choose from.  I am a traditional guy in that I have to have a greasy corn dog and an ear of raosted corn.  We all sat at the picnic tables under the space needle ant there was a ton of food vendors there.  One of the kids got something caled tornado fries.  It was basically fresh cut potato chips fried in a huge clump with seasoning on it.  They a little too greasy but were really good. My wife and daufgter got the worst item of the day.  Fried cheese.  I looked like a corn dog only with cheese inside.  Not very good at all.

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## RadicalModerate

You had me at Roasted Corn. =)  I think The Great State Fair of Minnesota mastered The Art of Fried Cheese (curds) back in the late 1940's and wisely decided not to attempt the impaling of them on a stick, like sort of a "CheezKurdKabob" or whatever.  However, I see no problem with giving a patron two sticks, some cheeze curds and a little Hoisen dipping sauce for an Oriental Flair. 

So . . . Were the Traditional Giant Cinnamon Rolls or Indian Tacos as good as always?  Or better?  I wonder if anyone has thought of making "Indian" Tacos the same way, except with some easy "Curry Sauce"?  Were the "Tornado Fries" a New Improved Version of those FABULOUS Hand Drill With a Spiral Jig Cut Fresh Potato Fries that appeared one year?

Frankly, I'm surprised that they didn't put in a Designer Cupcake or Muffin Top Vendor next to the Starbuck's where the Goodholm Mansion used to be.

All joking aside: I am sincerely happy that you and the kids had a good time at the Fair.
That is what it is all about.  Sometimes Nostalgia (usually faulty/less-than-perfect) gets in the way of remembering this.

(Edited to Add: I hope The Peruvian/Inca Flute Band was invited back . . . or is that now pass?)

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## GaryOKC6

> You had me at Roasted Corn. =)  I think The Great State Fair of Minnesota mastered The Art of Fried Cheese (curds) back in the late 1940's and wisely decided not to attempt the impaling of them on a stick, like sort of a "CheezKurdKabob" or whatever.  However, I see no problem with giving a patron two sticks, some cheeze curds and a little Hoisen dipping sauce for an Oriental Flair. 
> 
> So . . . Were the Traditional Giant Cinnamon Rolls or Indian Tacos as good as always?  Or better?  I wonder if anyone has thought of making "Indian" Tacos the same way, except with some easy "Curry Sauce"?  Were the "Tornado Fries" a New Improved Version of those FABULOUS Hand Drill With a Spiral Jig Cut Fresh Potato Fries that appeared one year?
> 
> Frankly, I'm surprised that they didn't put in a Designer Cupcake or Muffin Top Vendor next to the Starbuck's where the Goodholm Mansion used to be.
> 
> All joking aside: I am sincerely happy that you and the kids had a good time at the Fair.
> That is what it is all about.  Sometimes Nostalgia (usually faulty/less-than-perfect) gets in the way of remembering this.
> 
> (Edited to Add: I hope The Peruvian/Inca Flute Band was invited back . . . or is that now pass?)


I thought about the cinnamon rolls until I saw that they were 9.00 each.  I just can bring myself to pay that for a cinnamon roll.  Opted for another 6.00 beer instead.   :Smile:

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## Fantastic

> the worst item of the day.  Fried cheese.  I looked like a corn dog only with cheese inside.  Not very good at all.


I will respectfully disagree.  Fried cheese on a stick is my ABSOLUTE favorite thing at the fair.  Every year it is the first and last thing I get at the fair.

I usually fast for a day or two before the big fair day and my family and I go from open to close (though probably not this year due to my work schedule).  I enjoy a fried cheesburger, indian taco, chicken on a stick, really mad turkey nads (yep, exactly what it sounds like), fried twinkie, fried cheese cake, fried mashed potatoes, and at least two to three other random food items.  Ok, I know that sounds like alot, but my wife, son and I share most of these except the fried cheesburger (wife gets a fried PB&J instead) and the turkey nads (even though she's had lamb fries before, and liked them, she just can't do turkey for some reason)

Seriously, I love the fair, and I'm perfectly fine with the whole "selling you things you don't need" thing.  It's just part of the fun of it.  We usually blow about $200 dollars each year at the fair (I take $300 just in case), and I think it's perfectly worth it.  And it's not that much more expensive than what we would do on a normal family day.

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## ExtremistPullup

Michael so wants the space needle to open again. we saw a pig race and animals about to give birth.
I did get a free shirt from the Marines for dong 34 pull ups my name is still on there board.

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## BBatesokc

That's awesome. I'm trying to get to just 10 pull ups as part of my training for the tough mudder. I'm dead at 7. The only thing I know to do is practice with the pull up assist machine at the Y. Any other suggestions?

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## Achilleslastand

> That's awesome. I'm trying to get to just 10 pull ups as part of my training for the tough mudder. I'm dead at 7. The only thing I know to do is practice with the pull up assist machine at the Y. Any other suggestions?


Agreed that is awesome.....
Back in the day at least as far as pull ups go if you wanted a perfect score on the USMC pft you had to do 20.
Might try a lat pulldown machine ...also might try to reverse your grip you might be able to eek out a few more.

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## BBatesokc

Completely stupid! "Some Oklahomans Take Out High-Interest Loans To Go To State Fair"

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## RadicalModerate

> Completely stupid! "Some Oklahomans Take Out High-Interest Loans To Go To State Fair"


Don't you know that The Games of Skill Concessionaires on The Midway love to see those other folks strolling up to their booths?
("Yeah . . . I'm still a-payin' fer this here life-sized stuffed anaconda, but I won it fair and square . . .")

Suggested Reading: "The Mark Inside"  Amy Reading (spec. ref.: definition of "humbug")

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## GaryOKC6

> Completely stupid! "Some Oklahomans Take Out High-Interest Loans To Go To State Fair"


This does not make much sense to me either.  If you can not afford to go to the fair then how can you pay back a high interest loan.  As much as I love the fair, i would cut it out of my plans if I were struggling to pay my other bills.

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## RadicalModerate

You pay at least "the vig" on a high interest loan, taken out to win a stuffed anaconda, by going to a casino and playing the slots.  You do so because of the "message of hope" delivered by the "humbug" in your metaphorical ear.  ("Humbug" didn't always have a negative connotation.)

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## kevinpate

> This does not make much sense to me either.  If you can not afford to go to the fair then how can you pay back a high interest loan. ...


The thought process, such as it is, runs like this.   
S/he lacked the discipline over this past year to set aside 15-20 a month to save for the fun outing at the fair.  But still wanting to have fun, s/he decides to just borrow the money and then pay it back over the coming year.  And then next year, having shown that s/he can handle the payments, s/he repeats the process next year and goes again.  Saving in advance doesn't tend to be a part of the equation.

On a somewhat higher scale, it's why places that rent computers, tv's, appliances, etc. find it easy to stay in business.  
On a still higher scale, roughly the same thought process helped create the market for 6+ year car loans, and so on.

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## RadicalModerate

That same thought process is what actually built the Trans-Continental railroad.  And, before that, The Free American Formerly Colonial Banking System.  It's all about Hope and Confidence (with the help of The Humbug a.k.a. advertising =).

I just realized that The Average State Fair of Oklahoma is Greater than I thought it was.
(mr. loan buyer for stuffed anaconda is the backbone of our economy!  ignore the subliminal reference to mining and its connection with the oil industry. thank you.)

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## BBatesokc

But did any of those examples come with a 206% interest rate? Tickets and the food at the fair are expensive enough - I can't imagine paying double!!!!!!

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## RadicalModerate

An $18 Cinnamon Roll . . . Imagine that.
And a $12 draft beer.  Dang.
(but factor in the extra "created value" that greases the wheels of the economy . . . just be careful not to step in it. =)

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## Stew

> Completely stupid! "Some Oklahomans Take Out High-Interest Loans To Go To State Fair"


Lol, that's putting it lightly.  But I think the same when I see people finance a 40k SUV for 7+ years. But eh who's the say  its not the same ones. Yikes.

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## ExtremistPullup

> That's awesome. I'm trying to get to just 10 pull ups as part of my training for the tough mudder. I'm dead at 7. The only thing I know to do is practice with the pull up assist machine at the Y. Any other suggestions?


ya don't use the assist machine. If you are dead at seven do sets with a normal rest period until you can only do one. Do that three times a week example could look like 7,6,4,3,3,2,1. After two weeks evaluate your progress and do a new routine. let me know what you can do by week two and I can suggest something.


If you have weight to loose that will help.
I'm at 206 lbs 6ft If I got down to 196 I believe I could have gotten 40.

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## SoonerDave

> That's awesome. I'm trying to get to just 10 pull ups as part of my training for the tough mudder. I'm dead at 7. The only thing I know to do is practice with the pull up assist machine at the Y. Any other suggestions?


Good grief, I'm a desk-bound computer nerd and I don't think I could even do ONE....how on earth would I even start to train for even that modest an objective??? Lost quite a bit of weight in the last year with mostly increased general activity (lawn mowing, walking, outside projects, walking at work, etc), but very little in the way of muscle-toning...  :Frown:

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## Clock4869

Is there anything going on at the fair today or are they pretty much closing down? I havne't had a chance to go this year, but I'd like to go today unless they are more or less closing down all the food and activities---does anyone know? How long will they stay open today if things are still going on?

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## Easy180

> Is there anything going on at the fair today or are they pretty much closing down? I havne't had a chance to go this year, but I'd like to go today unless they are more or less closing down all the food and activities---does anyone know? How long will they stay open today if things are still going on?


It is a full on day as far as I know as they have a concert set after 9:00 I believe

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## Larry OKC

Maybe they changed things but when I went a couple of years ago, they were shutting things down at 3 pm on the last day...rides...exhibits...vendors etc..25 to 50% of the stuff already shut down or in the process

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## Mel

We went on senior's day last Wednesday. So so.

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## Tritone

No space needle this year.  It'll probably be gone next year justified by "Well, no one rode it the past two years."  Pronto Pup v. corn dog?  I usually get the Pronto.  Somehow it seems just a bit better although I kow it's really the same.  It is the same, right?  The Italian sausage sandwich and the brats were fine this year.

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## RadicalModerate

> No space needle this year.  *It'll probably be gone next year justified by "Well, no one rode it the past two years."*  Pronto Pup v. corn dog?  I usually get the Pronto.  Somehow it seems just a bit better although I kow it's really the same.  It is the same, right?  The Italian sausage sandwich and the brats were fine this year.


Love the rational "justification" quip!  =)

So . . . Were the Helmut's Strudel Rolls and the Peruvian Pan Pipe Band up to snuff?
I heard that those guys from the Andes added saxaphones and a synthesizer in the name of improvement.
I hope the rumor isn't true.

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## kevinpate

Maybe the space needle loving folks need to form the Brotherhood of the SON (Save our Needle) and start making some noise?

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## RadicalModerate

Maybe Chik-fil-A could cater the demonstrations?
Unfortunately, The Order of Monorailists and Innocent Grandstanders (OMIG) ran into a brick wall in regard to similar concerns, so it is unlikely that things won't change.

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## Bunty

> Good grief, I'm a desk-bound computer nerd and I don't think I could even do ONE....how on earth would I even start to train for even that modest an objective??? Lost quite a bit of weight in the last year with mostly increased general activity (lawn mowing, walking, outside projects, walking at work, etc), but very little in the way of muscle-toning...


See below.

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## Bunty

> Good grief, I'm a desk-bound computer nerd and I don't think I could even do ONE....how on earth would I even start to train for even that modest an objective??? Lost quite a bit of weight in the last year with mostly increased general activity (lawn mowing, walking, outside projects, walking at work, etc), but very little in the way of muscle-toning...


For starters do P90 for 3 months.  Then move up to P90X for three more months.  P90X is kinda tough, though.  See below for some inspiration:

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## whorton

> Sounds to me like you just shouldn't go then.


Rest assured, I have NOT for years. . . .Tulsa has a better fair. The State Fair of Oklahoma is now more of a rare, piercing, elevated sort of pain. as thoug someone has fired a staple into your cheek.

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## David

Holy thread necromancy, batman!

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## Dustin

Dang, I can't believe 2012 was 4 years ago... Seems like yesterday.

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## stile99

> Holy thread necromancy, batman!


Across 4 or 5 threads, too.  Lost count.  Something tells me whorton is displeased with the current state (sorry) of the State Fair.

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## OKCRT

> Holy thread necromancy, batman!


It's that time of year again. All the Fair people come out.

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## SOONER8693

Having been to OU/texass every year since 1985, I have to say, sadly, that the Oklahoma State Fair is not much more than a county fair compared to the Texas State Fair. Also, having grown up in Hutchinson, Kansas, site of the Kansas State Fair, my personal opinion is that the Oklahoma State Fair is a joke of a fair compared to the Kansas State Fair. I guess when it comes down to it, I think the Oklahoma fair is now a poor excuse for a state fair.

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## Pete

The OK State Fair is still in the top 25 in attendance of all state fairs, and that includes that there is the equally large counterpart in Tulsa.

Oklahoma is only the 28th largest state by population and has another Top 25 fair within 90 miles; that indicates the fair in OKC is still very highly attended when compared to others.

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## Urbanized

I think that the OK State Fair used to rank third in attendance behind Iowa and Texas, but I could be mistaken. I heard that ranking bandied about on multiple occasions.

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## Pete

> I think that the OK State Fair used to rank third in attendance behind Iowa and Texas, but I could be mistaken. I heard that ranking bandied about on multiple occasions.


I always heard that growing up but remember looking it up at a young age and realizing it was not true.

It may have been at one time but I got the distinct impression that that "3rd" number had always been an exaggeration.

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## Urbanized

^^^^^^^^
According to this article, it was third in the nation in attendance as recently as 2010: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humanin...ndance/1155248

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## SOONER8693

And I am an Oklahoman. Lived in Oklahoma before I moved to Kansas, lived there 9 yrs and grew up there. So, I consider Hutchinson my home town. Since, came back to Oklahoma for college and have been here for 45 yrs. I was in a group that did the gunfight shows at the fair for years, at the Cottonwood Post. There was a time when I considered our fair, Oklahoma, the equal of any fair in any state. Back when there was a Cottonwood Post, Grandstands and track, the airplanes, a Space Needle that worked, the monorail, etc. Now, not much. Not even worth the drive out to the fairgrounds. JMO

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## Urbanized

According to this article from the Oklahoma Historical Society, it first exceeded 1 million attendance in 1975: http://www.okhistory.org/publication...hp?entry=ST021

Granted there are fewer days now, but the attendance is currently hovering around 900K. So it is possible to imagine that other fairs have experienced growth in recent years while OK has stayed relatively flat.

It is reasonable to imagine that 1 million attendance in the seventies, eighties and even nineties would qualify it for top 3-5 status. Especially when you check this out and realize except for Texas and Minnesota, there is a pack around or just over a million: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_fair

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## Pete

> ^^^^^^^^
> According to this article, it was third in the nation in attendance as recently as 2010: http://www.tampabay.com/news/humanin...ndance/1155248


Obviously, it depends greatly on where you look.

According to Wikipedia, the OKC fair was 20th in 2012 and I seriously doubt if fell 17 positions in two years, with nearly identical attendance figures.

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## Urbanized

That Tampa article cites CarnivalWarehouse.com as a recognized authority on attendance at fairs, and it is interesting to look at their list: http://www.carnivalwarehouse.com/lists/2015list.pdf 

A couple of things you will notice is that the Tulsa fair's attendance is definitely higher (currently) than the one in OKC. Also interesting to note that the San Diego COUNTY fair is actually much larger than the California State Fair in Sacramento.

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## Pete

^

It looks like that Tampa article is excluding anything without State Fair in its title because here is the 2010 list from their website:

http://www.carnivalwarehouse.com/lists/2010list.pdf

Maybe it's as simple as the OKC fair is very high on the State Fair list but nearly so high on the all fair list.

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## Urbanized

Yeah I'm thinking the same thing in looking that over. There are a large number of county fairs and also livestock shows and exhibitions (that's a fair, right?) that have lots more attendance than most state fairs. If you exclude anything that doesn't claim to be a "state" fair and account for the fact that there is a large grouping right around 1 million attendance it seems pretty likely that it could consistently rank in the top 3-4 state fairs without being quite as big of a deal as that is being made out to be. Especially when one or more of them experiences an attendance swing of 100K or so for weather or any other possible reasons.

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## GaryOKC6

I think state fairs in general are losing their appeal.  Times change.  When fairs started they were a "big deal" , IMO not so much any more.  I will go twice.  Once to take the kids to ride all the rides and eat junk food.  The second time to walk around with my friends, drink beer, eat junk food and people watch.  That is good entertainment!

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## Jeepnokc

> I think state fairs in general are losing their appeal.  Times change.  When fairs started they were a "big deal" , IMO not so much any more.  I will go twice.  Once to take the kids to ride all the rides and eat junk food.  The second time to walk around with my friends, drink beer, eat junk food and people watch.  That is good entertainment!


The people watching is the best.  We have an annual workday at the fair where we shut office down at noon and all the employees go to the fair.  Company pays for everything including Uber rides and no spouse/kids allowed until 5 pm.  This will be our 5 th or 6 th year and it is always a blast and great team building day.

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