Update: Here we are three years later and things are even worse. In particular, the prices are much higher than when I first wrote this. Our state fair is still a rip-off and still run by the most corrupt criminal thugs the state could offer.
Original post:
I live in Oklahoma because God tells me to stay here, not because it’s such a wonderful place to live. Consider as an example our State Fair, which is currently running 10 days only at the Fairgrounds nestled into the northeast corner of the junction between Interstates 40 and 44.
There was a time it was worth going. It ran two or three weeks. The entrance ticket was just a couple of dollars, the food and drink were decent, and the exhibits were consistent with a state dominated by agriculture and smaller manufacturing. A gratifying collection of local youth exhibits of all types could be found. We had plenty of international exhibits, too.
Those days are gone. Please note: The price rise is far, far above inflation. It’s almost $10 per head to enter. The food costs are now outrageous. Of course, that’s because the vendors pay such huge fees just to get a place, they have to triple the price of what they offer. Anyone for a 24 ounce soft drink? $8. Yes, the food is about triple what the same vendor charges outside the Fair. I have met several vendors, and they do not gouge just because it’s a captive audience; it costs them that much just to be there.
Many of the old favorite features are gone. For example, there was a beautiful historic home there once, but the management decided they couldn’t afford to keep it open, so they sold the building to some small time building mover. It now sits partially dismantled on the mover’s lot, where it has been for quite some time, but no one can afford it. The monorail ride was shut down long ago, and dismantled. Most of the permanent infrastructure is crumbling, and things like the space needle are closed. The raceway is closed, which once featured some fun and unusual events during the Fair.
The midway consists of the cheapest creaking mobile carnival rides, staffed by people you would not want to meet. I know these people because I once drove a cab in this city, and had to transport a bunch of them. I had to fumigate the car after they got out. The same class of folks still work the Fair carnival venues. On the other hand, they complain of horrific treatment by the full-time staff, and I’ve seen it myself.
Therein lies the problem. This is a bloated, overpaid staff, and it gets worse as you go up the ladder. I recall reading a tiny article in some obscure newspaper about graft and corruption, about state and city tax money invested which seems to have bought nothing much. I remember brief snatches of reports on local news radio about investigations, but obviously they know how and whom to bribe, because I don’t recall hearing about the results of those investigations. I’m really not in a position to follow up on such things, but these are not mere rumors. The pricing structure alone should indicate the very best we can say is the management is criminally incompetent.
Don’t bother with the State Fair of Oklahoma. It’s one of the most embarrassing rip-offs in this state.
