THE BALLOON MAN

127th State Fair begins Thursday
'It's the showcase of South Dakota up here'

From:  argusleader.com
Written by Jill Callison
Aug 28, 2012
Richard Hanson could be the best promoter the South Dakota State Fair has ever had.

Hanson, who was in Huron on Tuesday setting up the carnival rides that are in operation tonight, bubbles with enthusiasm as he talks about what fairgoers will see at the 127th annual event.

“This is our seventh year coming here, and as the fair grows and prospers, we’re proud to be a part of it,” said Hanson of GoldStar Amusement of Minneapolis.

“There’s something for everyone out there. There’s a lot of fairs and festivals, but it’s the showcase of South Dakota up here.”

The state fair officially begins Thursday and ends on Labor Day.

Today is Preview Day with free admission through the gates. The carnival will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. with all rides $1.

No major changes were made this year to the state fair, fairgrounds manager Jerome Hertel said. Instead, the focus was on continuing the improvements that have happened the past five or six years.

Attendance has been increasing steadily, and Hertel expects it to increase again this year, if the weather cooperates.

“Last year we had 191,000 people, and this year we’re hoping to push over the 200,000 mark,” he said. “It looks very encouraging, if the weather holds out. The fair is a lot like farming, dependent on the weather.”

Despite facing state funding cuts in recent years, the South Dakota State Fair has seen revenue increase to the point that it has been able to maintain the buildings. That doesn’t pay for large capital improvements, however.

Future plans include 85 pedestals for campers, a new campground restroom, improvements to the gatehouse and resealing the grandstand.

The campground improvements are important, Hertel said, because more than 1,600 campers will stay on the fairgrounds with almost 90 percent there for the entire five-day run.

“There are a lot of families that have had the same campsite for 40-plus years,” Hertel said.

South Dakota’s first state fair took place in 1885. It rotated among different cities, taking up residence in Huron in 1905.
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