Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why Have A Fair?
From the beginning, a fair has been needed in the lives of county residents to build up morale, display talents and wares, and to unite the county. There is no other event that can bring a county together like a fair.
The Washington County Fair Board has adopted this mission statement: “It is the mission of the Washington County Fair to provide one of the best, most affordable events possible in which individuals and families throughout the county can participate with exciting opportunities for education, entertainment and above all, FUN! It is a place where wholesome family activities exhibit the quality of life found in our county.”
2. Can the Fair dates be changed to a cooler time of year?
The County Fair has always been held the second full weekend in August since 1951! This is a traditional time in which everyone expects the fair to be held. This is when the fruits and vegetables are at their ‘prime’ in our county. Our fair needs to be through before the Utah State Fair begins the first week of September so that our winners can be represented there. Also, every county and civic event needs their own ‘time to shine’. If we were to postpone our fair, it would infringe on the Iron county Fair, the Dixie Roundup, Senior Games, St. George Marathon and a lot of city festivals. With our facility improvements and cooled buildings, it is a perfect time to have a fair!
3. Why doesn’t our fair have a livestock show?
The weather in this area is very hot at fair time. The average ever-day temperature is usually around 105 degrees unless we get a thunderstorm that moves in to cool things down. It is difficult to raise and show animals under these extreme conditions. The livestock show is held in April. Another reason is….we would need to have another building to host a livestock show.
4. What is the attendance at the fair?
It is really hard to have an accurate attendance account at our fair. We do not charge an attendance fee like other fairs. The only fee we charge is for our parking. There is an average of 4 people per vehicle. In 2006 we showed that around 50,000 came to the fair during the 3 ½ days. This also includes the vendors, volunteers and complimentary passes.
5. When will the facility be finished?
The county is working on a Master Plan for the fairgrounds. Each year as the funds allow, improvements are made. At this time, there is no set date when the facility will be completely finished.
6. Why can’t the carnival open earlier in the day and all day Saturday?
The carnival cannot open early in our area because the heat causes the seats on the rides, especially the kid rides, to become too hot to sit on without chances of a burn on a bare leg. The people who come to the fair early in the day stay inside where it is cooler. The heat is also not good on the equipment .
7. How can I be guaranteed a seat at the Demolition Derby?
The Demolition Derby is the most popular event at the fair. If you buy a ticket for the Demolition Derby, you also see the rock crawls, the car give-a-way and the fireworks. The large arena only sits 3,000 people comfortably. Because we have had to turn away people the last two years we will pre-sale the demolition derby tickets this year and do away with the long lines at the ticket booths. 1,000 tickets will be available on line in July. 2,000 will be available at the fairgrounds during fair hours.
8. How come parking fees went up from $1 to $2 in 2006 and now in 2007 they are up another dollar to $3?
The fairgrounds housed the first fair in 1997 and charged $1 parking fee until 2006. We held off as long as we could without raising this price. Improvements needed to be done on the parking lot. As you can see, it has been asphalted and has parking lot lights. There is still a lot to be done. The parking attendants also increased their contract and so therefore….$3. We will try to keep this amount as stable as we can for the next few years. Other fairs charge more than this to park in addition to an entrance fee!
9. Why can’t we have a big named entertainer do a concert at our fair?
In 1998 to 2001 we had free concerts in the food court area. Kevin Sharp, Thurl Bailey, Mark Wills, Eric Heatherly, Sons of the Dessert, came to our fair. We had to find sponsors to pay for the whole entire concert and not very many people attended. We discontinued them.
Concerts are very expensive. By the time you pay a performer, rent a professional stage, lights and sound and then any back-line (guitars, drums, keyboard, etc.) that they need…we would have to charge a hefty price for all attendees. There are so many more events going on at a county fair that people will choose a less expensive event. In as much as all of our buildings are full to capacity, we have to have our concert outside in the large arena where bad weather is always a scary possibility. Until we feel that there is substantial outward support of the people in our area for a concert, the county can’t afford to take a big financial loss.
In the county master-plan for the fairgrounds, there is an enclosed Colosseum planned.
We definitely will try a big name concert for the fair and other times of the year when that is completed.
