The Duncan Banner

Local News

August 21, 2012

Stephens County Fair & Expo Center prepares for Free Fair

Joshua Kellogg The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN —

Stephens County Fair & Expo Center Director Mike Anderson has a saying which applies for setting up for the Stephens County Free Fair, which starts Wednesday.

“It’s kind of like working on a farm, nothing gets finished, it just gets moved somewhere else,” Anderson said.

Anderson and his staff have been working on various sections of fair preparation for the last two weeks, trying to coordinate efforts as various events are held at the Fair & Expo Center before and after the Free Fair.

“It takes a lot of manpower and effort and long hours to get everything set up,” Anderson said. “As soon as we get a free moment in the last two weeks, part of us would work on getting things setup.”

Major effort is made to coordinating the schedule for setup, dividing between setting up pins for the sheeps, goats and chickens with time needed to prepare the rodeo arena and more areas that require attention.

The crews have been working since the Ultimate Cafe Roping event to prepare the nearly 130 stalls required for free fair.

“It takes so long to arrange and rearrange and tear down all the pins and stalls,” Anderson said. “Everyone pitches in and makes it happen.”

A break from the 100-degree temperatures that have plagued workers, allow the workers more time to get their  jobs accomplished, with the cooler weather factoring in.

“When it was 105 degrees outside, the guys would have to find shade more often and we would cut them loose around 2 or 3 p.m.,” Anderson said. “Now they can work full speed and from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. to get everything ready. The temperature makes a huge difference.”

After the fair, the crews at the Fair & Expo Center will start work early Monday morning to prepare for the MidSouth Youth Rodeo Cowboys Association Finals which starts Aug. 30 with four days of big barrel racing planned.

“They are totally different events which require different setups and teardowns, that kind of thing,” Anderson said. “But we’re always excited for the fair.”

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