Which Fair came first?

[warreng88]

Did the fair in OKC come before the fair in Tulsa? I always get frustrated that there is an Oklahoma State Fair (here in OKC) and a Tulsa State Fair (and Tulsa is not even a state)...

[Patrick]

Tulsa state fair is older. Started in 1903 as the Tulsa County Fair, but name was later changed when it became a bigger draw. Oklahoma State Fair started in 1907.

[UnclePete]

Just about any fair in the country is better than the Oklahoma State Fair. The Iowa State Fair, and the Kansas State Fair come to mind.

[warreng88]

I guess I need to get out more because I have never been to a fair and thought, "This is awesome!" The fair for me is more about people watching and eating fried, greasy food on a stick.

[bchris02]

I guess I need to get out more because I have never been to a fair and thought, "This is awesome!" The fair for me is more about people watching and eating fried, greasy food on a stick.

I grew up going to the Missouri State Fair. The midway was fun as a child but outside of that I can't say I am a huge fan. I havent been to any other fair though. One day if I have children of my own, ill definitely take them to the fair because once again its a great experience as a kid.

[kevinpate]

Tulsa is a State of Mind. But I don't miss it like I once did.

[mkjeeves]

One of the best things ever about the Oklahoma State Fair is gone and that was the little booth by the arena where a guy would talk people out of their money. The spiel went something like this, he would ask who would be willing to put up, say $10, and tell them that whoever put up $10 would get something in return. They might get a portable TV, they might get a some other thing of value. The booth had a lot of items on display.

Then people would hand the guy money.

But wait...he wasn't going to tell them what they got right away, it was time for another part of the con, adding on more money might get you even more, and on and on and on. After a while he would give the people who gave him $10 a kitchen knife or something and keep working with whoever he had set the hook in.

They would hand him money. He would give them some junk back after holding them hostage for awhile. No games, no stuffed animals got harmed.

I could watch it for hours. They disappeared maybe 15-20 years ago. Probably went into managing peoples' retirement accounts.

[Bigrayok]

Oklahoma has three "state fairs". The Muskogee State Fair is the third. I love the fair in Oklahoma City. It is not what it used to be, but I still enjoy it every year. The Tulsa State Fair has not been the same since they tore down Bell's Amusement Park which I thought was a neat part of the fair. I have never been to the Muskogee State Fair.

Bigray in Ok

[MWCGuy]

Each year the Oklahoma State Fair becomes less of a fair and more corporate trade show with a carnival. I think I counted more cell phone kiosks and crappy cookware booths than anything else.

[bombermwc]

Agree MWCguy. It seems like all you do is walk around buildings looking at the same old crap that's been there for 20 years. Eat a corndog or some other horribly awful thing that will kill you, and then pay crazy high prices to play a game that's designed to take your money in exchange for some newspaper stuffed toy that is gonna give you tetanus. I had a lot of fun there as a kid, but i wasn't paying for it all LOL. After you park in the grass in some field too.

I miss the monorail and i actually miss the rude clown dunk tank...i actually thought he was funny.

A few things i feel like our fair doesn't do well is the "entertainment" side. I've seen at some others where there is a grass field for the ampitheater, not like our crappy one. And an actualy honest to goodness concert happens at night. We don't get that at all. I've also seen where the fairgrounds hold real museums....like the Texas fair in Dallas with the Natural History Museum. So there are attractions open to the public that get you away from the normal "crap" of the fair but you didnt have to make a trip just for that and then you dont feel bad if you stay for 20 minutes and leave.

The countless "for sale" things drive me bonkers here. Not to mention the amount they jack up the price on everything. $10 for an indian taco, are you kidding me?

[SOONER8693]

Each year the Oklahoma State Fair becomes less of a fair and more corporate trade show with a carnival. I think I counted more cell phone kiosks and crappy cookware booths than anything else.

You are dead on accurate. The Oklahoma State Fair has become a pathetic joke. All that is left is the bottom of the gene pool "humans" that frequent the event.

[Patrick]

You are dead on accurate. The Oklahoma State Fair has become a pathetic joke. All that is left is the bottom of the gene pool "humans" that frequent the event.

Do these folks live in trailor parks in South OKC, Harrah and Choctaw?

[Mel]

You are dead on accurate. The Oklahoma State Fair has become a pathetic joke. All that is left is the bottom of the gene pool "humans" that frequent the event.

Yeah, but their women dress skimpy and makes the people watching all that much more fun. We usually go twice, senior day is cheap admission and we go early and enjoy old people stuff. Them we take the Grandkids and Grandpa needs his big cold pack for his back after.

[Tritone]

I'll say it again...look for the space needle to go away. After all, no one rode it the past year or two (when it was closed for "repairs").

[Plutonic Panda]

I like the fair. I think they should bring back the Monorail and the Needle, but other than that, I enjoy the unhealthy foods and the exhibits.

[Patrick]

I like the fair. I think they should bring back the Monorail and the Needle, but other than that, I enjoy the unhealthy foods and the exhibits.

The space needle is still running, isn't it?

[Bigrayok]

The space needle is still running, isn't it?

No, unless it was repaired after it was damged by flooding a few years ago. It is my understanding it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair it and the fair management did not have the money or the will to repair it. One reason they gave for not repairing it is that the compnay that built it is no longer in business. I hope they do not tear it down. It is a good geographical landmark when driving through Oklahoma City.

Bigray in Ok

[Plutonic Panda]

The space needle is still running, isn't it?

Last time I checked, no. That was 2 years ago though. I went to the fair last year, but didn't really check.

No, unless it was repaired after it was damged by flooding a few years ago. It is my understanding it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair it and the fair management did not have the money or the will to repair it. One reason they gave for not repairing it is that the compnay that built it is no longer in business. I hope they do not tear it down. It is a good geographical landmark when driving through Oklahoma City.

Bigray in Ok

I wouldn't mind them tearing it down and rebuilding a better more modern looking one. Either way, it needs to be renovated or torn down and rebuilt. This would be on my list of dream projects I would like to do, buy it, remodel it, and open her back up. I wonder if someone could do that. It would be cool to buy the Space Needle and ROW for a monorail in the fair.

What would be even cooler if they built an elevated magnetically levitated monorail throughout downtown and connect it with the fair. That's as likely as bridging the Bering land bridge, but it would be cool.

[bombermwc]

The needle had its own special characteristics because it spun as it went up. But you have such limited time on it. If they do tear it down (and plan on replacing it), i hope that it's a tower with a permanent viewing area. It doesn't have to be as big as the Tower of the Americas or anything, but at least put something up there that's static so you can go up and stay up. Just put in some glass walled elevators on the outside of the structure and you still get the view going up as well. Just dont charge stupid prices for the thing like ToA does...it's crazy stupid.....and that thing is open all year round so it has a constant revenue stream and even has a resaurant. I just dont get why it's so pricey. It wasn't as prportionally expensive when it opened as it is now.

We could even put something in more like the tower that was at Six Flags Over Texas. The view is what you rode the needle for. And that's been crapy ever since they put that advertising crap on the outside of it.

[Patrick]

Thanks for the update. I hadn't realized that it was no longer running. Man, our fair has really gone downhill.

[Plutonic Panda]

The needle had its own special characteristics because it spun as it went up. But you have such limited time on it. If they do tear it down (and plan on replacing it), i hope that it's a tower with a permanent viewing area. It doesn't have to be as big as the Tower of the Americas or anything, but at least put something up there that's static so you can go up and stay up. Just put in some glass walled elevators on the outside of the structure and you still get the view going up as well. Just dont charge stupid prices for the thing like ToA does...it's crazy stupid.....and that thing is open all year round so it has a constant revenue stream and even has a resaurant. I just dont get why it's so pricey. It wasn't as prportionally expensive when it opened as it is now.

We could even put something in more like the tower that was at Six Flags Over Texas. The view is what you rode the needle for. And that's been crapy ever since they put that advertising crap on the outside of it.

That is kind of what I was thinking. It would be cool to bring life to the fair area year round, with the tower permanently functioning and rebuilt. Someone would have to come up with a unique design, but all in all, it would be really cool!

[oki]

No, unless it was repaired after it was damged by flooding a few years ago. It is my understanding it would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to repair it and the fair management did not have the money or the will to repair it. One reason they gave for not repairing it is that the compnay that built it is no longer in business. I hope they do not tear it down. It is a good geographical landmark when driving through Oklahoma City.

The space needle is a landmark, and one of the few old landmarks that OKC still has out there.

They already tore down the trams.

They tore down the motor speedway or whatever it was out there.

They've abandoned the space needle.

What next?

With all the big money industries around here now (Chesapeake, Devon, Thunder, etc.), surely some company could cough up a few hundred thousand as a tax write-off to save a landmark and repair the space needle. Building a new one would cost more, and destroy another landmark.

That, or allow public donations to help offset the cost of the space needle.

OKC has very few old landmarks like this. Save the space needle.

[Prunepicker]

Did the fair in OKC come before the fair in Tulsa? I always get
frustrated that there is an Oklahoma State Fair (here in OKC) and a
Tulsa State Fair (and Tulsa is not even a state)...

Most likely the reason the Tulsa Fair is called a state fair is because
the event participants, those in the livestock, canning, art and the
like, come from all over the state. The County Fairs accept only
county participants.

[Larry OKC]

Back when I would go up to Tulsa every 6 weeks or so to get my Casa Bonita fix, especially around their Fair time, I would ask when Tulsa became the 51st state. Often get a blank stare until I mentioned the Tulsa State Fair. IMO, there is only ONE State Fair and that is the Oklahoma State Fair (we don't call the one here the Oklahoma City State Fair). They would often smile and agree, saying they never looked at it like that. LOL

[Jeepnokc]

Seriously.....the only reason to go to the fair is to watch people and eat. It is the finest form of white trash entertainment. Exactly the reason I buy a season pass. (yes, they have a season pass so you can go everyday!!) Oklahoma Pork Council pork sandwich, Dan's Indian Tacos, Sammy's pizza, Jamaican Me crazy beer stands, Helmut's, Earl's Turkey legs. Most of these places are local. Don't forget about the made in Oklahoma area that has plenty of OK stuff. There is also the Oklahoma Wineries section with frozen wine-a-ritas. We shut the office down one day to go to the fair for office bonding.

She may not be the prettiest fair in town.....but she is my fair!

Get drunk....sign up for the paper delivery....... buy a double wide....one stop shopping