GREENFIELD — The Hancock County Fair is undergoing some big changes this year — including a new carnival vendor, a new schedule and several new events.
The fair board has teamed up with Hancock County Tourism to bring several events to the multipurpose arena on the north side of the fairgrounds, including a rodeo, bull riding contest, tractor pull, draft horse pull and donkey basketball.
This year’s fair will also feature a Country Vintage Market with small business vendors and a Farmers Olympics contest.
The majority of 4-H events — including livestock shows and exhibits — will be concentrated within the second week of the fair.
This year’s fair runs June 18-28 at the Hancock County Fairgrounds, at 620 Apple St. in Greenfield.
The midway will look a bit different than years past, with carnival rides onsite for only the first half of the fair June 18-23.
Fun Jumps Bounce Houses will be brought in for the remainder of the fair June 24-28.
“During this time we will have an array of attractions in the midway for entertainment…(and) will have a variety of food vendors in and out throughout the two weeks,” said fair board member Holly Plank.
“We will have most of our regular food vendors at some point” during this year’s fair, she said.
Plank, who is also vice president of the Hancock County 4-H Ag Association, said this year’s fair restructuring is intended to better serve 4-H families and fair guests.
The fair’s new carnival vendor was only available for the first week of the fair this year, she said, which led to the decision to split up the fair into two parts — with the 4-H focus primarily in the latter half.
“Separating the fair and carnival has been suggested for many years, and we thought what better way to try it. We can get the carnival company the community wants as well as try a new schedule and see what people think,” said Plank, who is excited about the change.
Amber Barks, 4-H Youth Development and County Extension Director at Hancock County’s Purdue Extension office, is also looking forward to the newly revamped fair.
Barks said the local 4-H program is doing well, and has gotten a boost from a new in-school initiative at Eastern Hancock schools called Project Achievement, which allows students to take part in 4-H activities in the classroom.
Last year’s nine-day-long fair was plagued by complaints about the new carnival vendor, the Carnival Company, based out of Gratis, Ohio.
The company came under fire for handing out rabbits as prizes and for concerns over ride safety.
Plank is hoping for much better results with this year’s vendor, Luers Carnival Co. of Collinsville, Ill., which touts itself as “America’s Premier Portable Family Amusement Park.”
She’s also optimistic about the updated fair schedule.
The longtime fair board member said the board has worked diligently to revamp this year’s fair based on public demand, and has teamed up with Hancock County Tourism to bring more events and more people to this year’s fair.
“I have poured my heart into listening to our community and working toward a more inviting fair. As with everything in life, what works for some won’t work for others, so we will have to adjust accordingly to make it work best for the majority,” said Plank.
“The Hancock County 4-H Ag Association is working to improve your experience in all that we do. We have a whole lot of gears turning, and our ultimate goal is community,” she said.
Brigette Cook Jones, director of Hancock County Tourism, said the county fairgrounds — which is owned and operated by the Hancock County Ag Association — is a huge tourism driver for the county, playing host to not just the 4-H fair but to several other events throughout the year.
“We know from our foot traffic data … that the 4-H fair is really the largest tourist event in the county. It draws the most people and many from the surrounding counties,” she said.
Jones said that same data shows that when extra events that tourism sponsors like the rodeo and bull riding competition aren’t offered, that fair attendance drops off significantly.
“It is a no-brainer for us to understand that when we support the Ag Association to have a diversity of events at the fair, and not only focus on 4-H, it is a huge money driver for not only them but also nearby businesses,” she said.
Jones, a lifelong Hancock County resident, said the local fair used to be one of the biggest social events of the year, bringing in not only local residents and 4-Hers but a number of people from surrounding counties in search of entertainment.
“These are outside dollars coming from out-of-county pockets, and we know based on our last tourism economic impact study that tourism events like the fair contribute over $221 million dollars to the Hancock County economy,” she said.
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