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.

[ljbab728]

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

[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.

[catch22]

Ah the Tulsa State Fair....

Makes me laugh everytime. The State of Tulsa.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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...

[okcboy]

Welcome to the Minnesota State Fair

[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 ?

[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.

[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

[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.

[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

[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.

[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 . . .

[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?

[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?

[BBatesokc]

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

[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.

[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. =)

[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