No One Asked Me But… (April 12, 2023)

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… It’s Fair time! Its Fair time! Its Fair time! I feel like Snoopy dancing around his dinner dish singing “It’s Dinner Time.”

I love a good Fair. My wife and I are Fair people. I was raised in Des Moines, Iowa, the home of the Iowa State Fair, arguably the best Fair in the world. I attended the Fair every year until I was 20 years old and left town.

This was before the ban on sideshows where you could see the oddities of nature. It was before the days of civilized sensibilities and many people were on display for some physical oddity. The bearded lady, the fat lady and sometimes the fat bearded lady. They had a girlie show but I never got in so I only know what the big boys told me.

Here in Logandale, there will be a carnival with a multitude of rides. There will be food booths by the dozens. Speaking of wh ich, one thing I learned at the Iowa State Fair was you never ordered raisin pie. The raisins looked too much like the flies that also attended the Fair. There will be no girlie show in Logandale!

There will be displays of home-made goods; pies, cakes and canned fruits and vegetables. During the last days of the Fair, these bottled and baked goods will have ribbons of various colors on them. Those who enter exhibits take great pride in the awards won at the Fair.

I am glad to report that the best local Fair I have ever attended, and that is a multitude, is once again being held right here in Logandale. The Clark County Fair and Rodeo includes the Fair, the Rodeo, and the Junior Livestock Show, a number of ground shows, and a carnival. What more could a man ask for?

Most local fairs can be seen in an hour or two; however, an enjoyable full day can be had at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo. We will spend most of the five days just taking in the grandeur of the event. Wednesday and Thursday are the best days for locals, as most of the Vegas people won’t be here until Friday.

If you live on Whipple, or a street that intersects Whipple, things get downright exciting. More that 70,000 people will be in our community. These are people who will spend money in town as well as at the Fair. The motels are full for this week as entertainers and some out of town visitors will need a place to stay. While most eat at the Fair, I am sure the local eateries will see some of the dollars as well as does Lin’s and both of our hardware stores.

There is one lady who comes all the way from London, England, each year to see our Fair. A Utah couple has been known to helicopter in to the Fair.

Much to the chagrin of the Clark County School District, even school becomes of secondary importance. Working the Fair has to be an excused absence. Or maybe the kids can use the dreaded “open periods” King Jara has, by royal decree, put an end to for the next school year.

The Fair depends on hundreds of volunteers to operate and it is a sign of civic responsibility. Those students who volunteer their labor ought to receive extra credit in their civics class.

Students can make some money helping set up the Fair and many will find jobs with the food vendors. Much will be learned during those days that cannot be taught in the classroom.

Todd Robison has headed the Fair for decades and has been instrumental in the growth to excellence experienced by the fair. The Rodeo is now one of the top Rodeos in the country. The large quantity of prize money and points earned toward a spot at the nationals in Las Vegas are at stake. The best cowboys in America will show up to compete in the Logandale Rodeo. While I am not a great fan of Rodeo (I always root for the bull), I will be going Friday night as a cowboy friend of mine, from Wyoming, will be visiting.

The Junior Livestock Show is a great event and it is an opportunity to see farm animals up close and personal. There are pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle on display. You and your kids will love the Small Animal Barn.

Many of the animals, raised by the 4-H kids will be auctioned on Saturday. Sponsors of the FFA kids will spend a whole lot more money than the animals are worth, but that is just cowboys and farmers being cowboys and farmers. They are great supporters of the kids and give the program a great boost.

The money raised will help send some of the kids to college and others will use the money for their project next year. The kids in my neighborhood used to raise pigs. But those kids have grown up. I really miss the kids more than the pigs.

My family will be here on Saturday. We will all descend on the Fair and finish the evening at the Rodeo. This will be the only time during the year that the Moses clan will be cowboys. But it will be a great time. We will eat our way through the Fair.

No one asked me but… I will be helping to man a booth for the group of Moapa Valley and Virgin Valley citizens who are supporting Assembly Bill 420 that reads:

AN ACT relating to education; requiring the Superintendent of Public Instruction to create the Rural Northeastern Clark County Regional School District; requiring the Department of Education to conduct a feasibility study of that District and submit a report to the Legislature; authorizing the establishment of regional school districts; making an appropriation; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

This will be a chance for those interested to find more information about the efforts to carry this bill through and to sign a petition in support of those efforts.

Keep in mind while the Titanic was sinking, the survivors were placed in life boats and this bill may well be the lifeboat of a sinking CCSD.

Thought for the week… County Fair: where tradition meets excitement. There is something that feels so all-American about a county fair.