Fair board head draws unfounded attacks
I’d hate to be in Bill Jackson’s shoes these days. The mild-mannered and hard-working president of the Fayette County Agricultural Improvement Association is coming under fire for the association’s decision to sell beer at the upcoming county fair.
While Jackson expected some opposition to the move, there’s no way he could have prepared himself for the personal venom being directed his way. If you believe his critics, including the letter writer below, Jackson made the decision on his own with the goal of turning all fairgoers into drunks.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The decision was made by the association’s board of directors, informally known as the Fayette County Fair Board. The vote was unanimous with all 13 members agreeing to sell beer at the fair. The association’s members then held their own vote this past week with a solid majority agreeing to sell beer.
As Jackson explained, it was not a decision made lightly. The overriding reason, said Jackson, was finances.
He noted that with the economy on the downturn, the fair was faced with the loss of income from sponsors. At the same time, the state has its own financial problems and funding for county fairs has been dwindling. With those two items alone, Jackson said, the fair was looking at a decrease of $50,000 in revenues.
While Jackson admitted no one knows how much revenue the beer sales will generate, it’s expected to total between $20,000 to $30,000 helping to at least offset a part of those lost revenues.
Remember also that the fair can no longer depend on the late philanthropist Bob Eberly who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the fair over the years and helped it out of many tight spots.
So, it has to be run like a business where the bills have to be paid. And revenues must be generated to pay for expenses. But it’s not like the fair board decided to generate as much money as possible from selling beer.
Despite what Jackson’s critics contend, the sales will be controlled. They will be limited to two or three hours a night in the Outdoor Arena. The beer won’t be a bargain, costing $3 for a 12-ounce glass, much more than what you’d pay in a neighborhood tavern.
There will be security to make sure those under 21 can’t purchase a beer and they will be on guard should anyone become unruly or cause any problem.
As Jackson added, should there be a major problem, the decision to sell beer could be reversed on the spot. It all could end the first night if any unforeseen problems come up.
But Jackson clearly hopes that isn’t the case. His goal is to see that the vast majority of fairgoers don’t even notice the change.
After all beer has been sold at other county fairs, including the one in Washington County, for a number of years and they haven’t deteriorated into nightly beer brawls.
Still, the critics are out and they refuse to listen to his reasons if they read or hear them at all. It’s almost as if they’re determined to believe what they want to believe no matter the facts or the logic involved.
They’ve even talked about boycotting the fair, which is downright mystifying.
Thanks to efforts of Jackson and many others, the fair has grown into the county’s premiere event.
Why anyone would want to hurt the fair, which has been a positive thing for so many people, is a question that boggles the mind.
The thing that the critics fail to see is that Jackson and others connected to the fair have the most to lose if somehow the beer sale backfires. They’ve worked their lives to build up the fair. The last thing, they want to see is something that would hurt the fair. No one cares more about the fair then them.
It’s hard to tell if these critics have any support among the general population. Let’s hope not. The beer sales deserve a test if for nothing else than to resolve the question once and for all.
If there are problems, we’ll be the first to call for its end. And I’m sure the fair board will agree.
But if a way can be found to generate some much-needed revenue while at the same time not causing problems for anyone, then we’ll all be winners.
And maybe then Jackson will get some praise instead of heat.
Mark O’Keefe is the executive editor of the Herald-Standard. O’Keefe can be reached by e-mail at mo’keefe@heraldstandard.com, by regular mail at 8-18 Church St., Uniontown or by phone at 724-439-7569. O’Keefe’s blog can be seen at the Herald-Standard’s web site, heraldstandard.com.