Our Opinion: It’s time to go to the fair

Let’s be honest. Northern Nevada hasn’t been the most supportive area of a fair in recent years. The Nevada State Fair, at one time basically the longest-running historical event in the state at one time, ceased to exist in 2010.

And the concept of holding a fair in general — at one time as Americana as apple pie — has seen better days. States and counties all across the country continue to struggle to hold their fairs, needing taxpayers’ funding to help keep their fairs alive. In California, there’s now only one fair that gets along without taxpayers’ funding and it’s struggling to maintain without tax dollars.

The main reason why fair organizers are having a tough time — especially at the local level — is they’re struggling with keeping up with the times when it comes to the kind of attractions and entertainment a fair needs to offer. That’s driving up the costs to offer a fair, leading more fairs to lean on the taxpayer.

But here in Carson City, organizers have dedicated themselves to restoring the tradition of the fair in Northern Nevada with this week’s NV150 Fair and they deserve a great deal of credit for their efforts. Sure, with any first time effort to put on such an event, there have been the expected glitches here and there.

That should not stop the people of this area from supporting the fair.

Who knows, maybe in 20 years Carsonites will talk of the fair like they talk about Taste of Downtown or the RSVP Mother’s Day Carnival.

The bottom line is the fair will only survive if the community wants a fair. And the community should want a fair.

This is a community that should be able to showcase the area’s 4-H and FFA students, which is really the main reason for a fair in the first place.

So go out this weekend and spend sometime at the fair.