Every year, for 79 years, they spend countless hours preparing for an event in Carter County! Think about it, this event may have been one of your ancestors!
Carter County Free Exhibition is for the benefit of all county citizens. The purpose of the fair is to promote agriculture, horticulture, livestock and poultry, manufacturing, arts, professions and every county industry.
Fair Board – The Carter County Independent Judicial Board has nine elected members. Each county has three members selected from each district each year. Members of the Board of Justice are not paid. In fact, they spend countless hours each year planning and implementing the county fair. County councils cannot operate without the guidance of this board. In December, the Board holds quarterly meetings. The dates will then be reported to the county clerk’s office.
Finance – Fair Board applies for assistance. These funds will be used to pay for trophies and ribbons, including premiums for exhibitions.
Other sources of revenue for the Justice Board: Carnival. The Fair Board has a written contract with Texas Pride to provide a clean, well-maintained carnival for the county show. The fair board receives a percentage of the annual revenue from Carnival to offset the annual budget. It costs more than $ 30,000 to fund a free exhibition in Carter County, of which about 15,000 will return to exhibitions with prizes, ribbons, trophies, etc.…
Carter County’s free exhibition will be very clear and unobtrusive if there is no annual revenue from Carnival. At the Carter County Free Exhibition, all citizens benefit from the carnival revenue.
Why is the OSU Extension Office involved? The participation of the Extension Office in the county fair has been a history for many years. Here in Carter County, the Extension Office oversees staffing, recruiting volunteers to help with many competitions during the festival. Carter County OSU Extension staff can be found in all areas of justice during the fair, working to enhance your equity experience.
Why do we have a fair manager? The Exhibition Manager works with vendors, organizations, and volunteers to organize events and activities at the fair. The Fair Manager is accountable to the Board of Justice and all events, contests and activities must be certified by the Board.
Volunteers – There are countless volunteers at the show. Carter County Oklahoma House and Community Education Clubs spend hours picking up entries, displaying entries, and carefully monitoring entries each year. They also run the CCOHCE kitchen, south of the Coliseum under the green roof. 4-H Volunteers work long hours in exhibition areas to benefit Carter County youth. Volunteers from all over the animal industry are engaged in horse show, cattle show, pig show, goat show, and sheep show. Without volunteers, the exhibition would not work! If you would like to volunteer, please contact me!
Who can enter? Anyone in Carter County! There are open class exhibitions for teens and adults that can be accessed with 4-H, FFA and youth classes. To sign in, go to the Extension Office to pick up a fair book or go to the Fair website at https://cartercountyfair.com/. It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and is closed from 1:00 pm to 1:00 pm. Our office is located at 25 A Street NE, Suite 200 (old Noble Energy Building, above the Election Board). All indoor entries will be picked up on Tuesday, September 7 from 4 – 7:30 p.m. Domestic entries will be released on Sunday, September 12 from 1 – 3 p.m. Indoor entries are located on the north wing of Hardy Murphy College.
I hope that by reading this article you will gain a better understanding of the Carter County Free Fair and appreciate all the time and effort involved in planning and implementing the fair. The exhibition does not take place overnight. It was well thought out and planned months ago.
If you see someone, a district commissioner, or a volunteer on the fair, you will receive a warm smile and a thank you. Sometimes I think we forget to take things in stride and thank everyone who participated.
I hope you come out and enjoy the fair this year and you will join us! Your neighbors will be glad to see you!
For more information, please contact the Carter County OSU Extension Office at (580) 223-6570, email me at danielle.l.wells@okstate.edu or contact Angie Green, Fair Manager at (580) 224-9626. Email cartercountyfair@yahoo.com, website https://cartercountyfair.com/ or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CarterCountyFreeFairOklahoma/.
Oklahoma State University, US Department of Agriculture, State and Local Government Collaboration – The Oklahoma Cooperative Expansion Service provides programs to all eligible individuals, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability or patriotic status. And he is an equal opportunity employer.