KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – It looks like the Kalamazoo County Fair might just make a comeback next summer.
Last night, the county board authorized staff to find somebody or someway to organize a fair with four to five days of rides and food vendors, to support the annual 4H animal showcase at the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds next August.
Commissioners spent a good portion of two meetings arguing over the merits of bringing back the county tradition, which had run into security and financial troubles, and then COVID-19 in the early 2020’s.
Chair Pro-Tem Jeff Heppler strongly supported bringing it back.
“We owe it to those kids that are working extremely hard in the 4H program. I think it’s incumbent upon us to step up and make this happen,” Heppler said.
But some commissioners aren’t sure if it has a future, including Dale DeLeeuw.
“I think those days are gone, I don’t think the support from the community is there,” says DeLeeuw.
Commissioner John Gisler suggested they try a joint fair with a neighboring county.
“Possibly for some of you this feels blasphemous. Does it need to start out as a Kalamazoo County Fair or could it be in conjunction with Calhoun, Centerville?”
Vice chair John Taylor says success for him is a carnival that runs for four or five days and attracts 40 to 50,000 residents.
Chair Jen Strebs says it could be a challenge to find someone who could organize a county fair by next summer, but they should try.
“The timelines are tight, there are a lot of fairs that occur around the same time of the year, there’s a limit to the number of vendors, so we do need to act soon if we are going to get on anybody’s calendar.”
Long term, the idea they are considering is to find some other organization to run it and move it from the county fairgrounds on Lake Street to a more rural part of the county.
But first the Kalamazoo County Fair has to prove it is still a viable concept, and next year’s event may be the test. That’s if they can find someone to get it organized.
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