State Fair

[Dob Hooligan]

I think the car business has changed. The new models and model year change over isn't a big thing that happens in September/October anymore. The spring Auto Show is a better way to get crowds. And fewer dealers take part in that anymore.

Dealers don't see a benefit from the big consumer events. Not a bump in sales; cars get damaged; employees hate the overtime and overall experience.

[Bill Robertson]

I think the car business has changed. The new models and model year change over isn't a big thing that happens in September/October anymore. The spring Auto Show is a better way to get crowds. And fewer dealers take part in that anymore.

Dealers don't see a benefit from the big consumer events. Not a bump in sales; cars get damaged; employees hate the overtime and overall experience.

For many years I was part of the electrical crew that ran power to cars at the spring OKC and Tulsa auto shows. It used to take 5 or 6 of us 2 10 hour days and a couple guys part of a third day. Now 3 guys do it in only 2 days. There aren't half the makes showing up as what used to.

[gjl]

Thinking about it Ford/Lincoln only had 1/2 the building on one side. The other side of that 1/2 was miniature golf so really only 3/4 of the building had cars. My wife asked me if after the fair are those cars sold as 100% new. I didn't know. I would figure they would have to discount them since many of them had tons of people in and out of them.

[Bill Robertson]

Thinking about it Ford/Lincoln only had 1/2 the building on one side. The other side of that 1/2 was miniature golf so really only 3/4 of the building had cars. My wife asked me if after the fair are those cars sold as 100% new. I didn't know. I would figure they would have to discount them since many of them had tons of people in and out of them.

I always wondered about the cars myself. For the spring shows there are traveling companies that do the displays, backdrops, rotating stages, etc. Local dealers are given a spec for cars to be provided for each show. I don't know if the show cars are discounted or if they give them a super duper detail job and sell them as pristine.

[Dob Hooligan]

I always wondered about the cars myself. For the spring shows there are traveling companies that do the displays, backdrops, rotating stages, etc. Local dealers are given a spec for cars to be provided for each show. I don't know if the show cars are discounted or if they give them a super duper detail job and sell them as pristine.

I think carmakers give an allowance for each of the “show cars”. The dealer might try to retail it normally at first, to see if it sells at full price, and then discount it as time goes by.

[warreng88]

Am I the only one who thought it was ironic that there was a massive downpour on the last day of the fair when the weather had been relatively quiet the rest of the time?

[jn1780]

Am I the only one who thought it was ironic that there was a massive downpour on the last day of the fair when the weather had been relatively quick the rest of the time?

The state fair is starting to loose its power to manipulate the weather. It was the last day before it brought the rains.

[White Line Nightmare]

The state fair usually brought rain with it. This year it waiting until the last day. We went on the 21st. And my woman said we aren't going next year. Fewd was just up way more than usual. And one of the cheese stands she liked was not out there this year.

[OKCbyTRANSFER]

The state fair usually brought rain with it. This year it waiting until the last day. We went on the 21st. And my woman said we aren't going next year. Fewd was just up way more than usual. And one of the cheese stands she liked was not out there this year.

If it was the Wisconsin Cheese vendor, who's been there for about 30 years, you're not alone. I volunteer at the fair, and many many guests asked where they were this year. The owner recently passed away and the family has not yet decided how to move on. Maybe next year once they regroup (?). That was no fault of the fair. The Shriners have not been back since covid, their choice. Sometimes it's about making new memories.

[bamarsha]

I think carmakers give an allowance for each of the “show cars”. The dealer might try to retail it normally at first, to see if it sells at full price, and then discount it as time goes by.

If I were to guess (and that's all it is), I would guess they used the fair display cars as courtesy cars (the ones they let people drive when their car is in the shop). Again, that's a guess, as I don't know how the courtesy cars get decided either.

[gjl]

There were some pretty high dollar sticker price cars and especially trucks there One Lincoln SUV was 75K and one pickup truck was 90K.

[Dob Hooligan]

If I were to guess (and that's all it is), I would guess they used the fair display cars as courtesy cars (the ones they let people drive when their car is in the shop). Again, that's a guess, as I don't know how the courtesy cars get decided either.

Loaner cars usually come from a different allowance account than special event cars. Loaners should be considered to be a rental car for all practical purposes. A special event, or show car, would have the unusual use history of no driving, but 10,000 miles worth of seat wear and door shutting. Dealers generally don’t want customers to think their 3,000 mile loaner feels like it has 13,000 miles on the seats and door latches.

[bamarsha]

Loaner cars usually come from a different allowance account than special event cars. Loaners should be considered to be a rental car for all practical purposes. A special event, or show car, would have the unusual use history of no driving, but 10,000 miles worth of seat wear and door shutting. Dealers generally don’t want customers to think their 3,000 mile loaner feels like it has 13,000 miles on the seats and door latches.

Good point. Thanks.

[jn1780]

The amount of wear those cars see probably isn't any worse than a hail damage vehicle. My personal car has seen hundreds of butt hours throughout its life.

[Dob Hooligan]

The amount of wear those cars see probably isn't any worse than a hail damage vehicle. My personal car has seen hundreds of butt hours throughout its life.

Agree. Same here.

[Laramie]

How long can the fair continue to operate without some infrastructure improvements like a new monorail or space tower. Our fairgrounds looks bland and neglected.

Generally volunteer for my church food booth (Little Flower Catholic Church) great Mexican foods.

New coliseum construction looks promising.

I've attended the fair (avoided the midway games and the now expensive food like $18.00 for a smoked malnourished turkey leg. Seen bigger thighs on a white rabbit. I could purchase a 12 lbs., turkey for less than that.

The Great State Fair of Oklahoma isn't as great anymore.

[Bill Robertson]

How long can the fair continue to operate without some infrastructure improvements like a new monorail or space tower. Our fairgrounds looks bland and neglected.

Generally volunteer for my church food booth (Little Flower Catholic Church) great Mexican foods.

New coliseum construction looks promising.

I've attended the fair (avoided the midway and the now expensive food like $18.00 for a smoked malnourished turkey leg. I could purchase a 12 lbs., turkey for less than that.

The Great State Fair of Oklahoma isn't as great anymore.

The future success of the fair will be determined by the youth of today. The ones that play gory video games and spend their nights at raves and such. Are they going to find a monorail and space tower their idea of interesting and fun?
The fairgrounds definitely needs improvement but it needs to be modern, over the top kinds of things. What I have no idea.

[Laramie]

The future success of the fair will be determined by the youth of today. The ones that play gory video games and spend their nights at raves and such. Are they going to find a monorail and space tower their idea of interesting and fun?
The fairgrounds definitely needs improvement but it needs to be modern, over the top kinds of things. What I have no idea.

The rides, I'm well past the roller coaster age, something like that would give me a heart-attack and put me into shock.

[Bill Robertson]

The rides, I'm well past the roller coaster age, something like that would give me a heart-attack and put me into shock.

Me too. I'm almost 67. But that's my point. The future of everything has to be attractive to the young in order to succeed. Not attractive to us older people. It sucks for us but it's the way it is. I would give body parts to go back to a day when I rode the monorail or the space tower with my family. Or watched, worked for or drove a car at the race track. But those times are gone. And if they are to be replaced it must be with things the kids of today want to do.

[Dob Hooligan]

Me too. I'm almost 67. But that's my point. The future of everything has to be attractive to the young in order to succeed. Not attractive to us older people. It sucks for us but it's the way it is. I would give body parts to go back to a day when I rode the monorail or the space tower with my family. Or watched, worked for or drove a car at the race track. But those times are gone. And if they are to be replaced it must be with things the kids of today want to do.

I'm up there with you, and completely agree. The State Fair of Oklahoma still draws large crowds daily. Management is smart, and knows what draws people today. We might not like it, but it gets bodies in the gates.

Better than being an Oldsmobile dealer.

[Patrick]

Another reason crowds were light this year....

We were going to go this year but it was so damn hot. I'm not going to go when it's 95 degrees out. It's miserable. So I know the weather contributed to us not going.

[TornadoKegan]

I have been going every year since 2019. (except for 2020 for obvious reasons), However 2024, i decided to skip the fair. the rides were not too great last year. and the amount of vendors looked to be getting less and less every year. It was sad.

[Canoe]

The amount of wear those cars see probably isn't any worse than a hail damage vehicle. My personal car has seen hundreds of butt hours throughout its life.

Speaking of bottom-hours does anyone have experience on how modern cloth seats hold up.agaist modern leather seats?

[Canoe]

The future success of the fair will be determined by the youth of today. The ones that play gory video games and spend their nights at raves and such. Are they going to find a monorail and space tower their idea of interesting and fun?
The fairgrounds definitely needs improvement but it needs to be modern, over the top kinds of things. What I have no idea.

24 hour in person fortnight (or similar) tournament next to the car show.

[scottk]

This guy has half a million YouTube subscribers, and gives a pretty fair overview of most of the offerings of the 2024 State Fair of Oklahoma. Looks like he went right when the gates opened on a weekday with very light attendance, but from the buildings, animal exhibits, to the stage shows, to the rides, it's fairly comprehensive on the current state of the Oklahoma State Fair.