Disorganized and disappointing Bonner County Fair

From the perspective of my kindergartener:

I’m really disappointed about mutton busting. I didn’t get to do it. Somebody took my place. We called ahead and we went there to ask them about it and I got picked but somebody took my spot and I don’t know how it happened. I was brave enough to do it this year and I was very excited, but next year I’ll be too old.

After numerous attempts via email and phone calls to contact fair officials our family drove to the fairgrounds to find out the scoop on mutton busting at the Bonner Country Rodeo this year. We were most concerned with how to qualify. Originally I was told, over the phone, children would be picked on a first-come, first-serve basis, and then, in person, someone told us it would be a lottery. Our daughter’s name was added to a list, and all we needed to do was show up just before the rodeo to see if her name was drawn. After we paid for eight rodeo tickets ($10 each) we found out, inside the gates, there was not a lottery, and the children had already been picked. Because we could not be reached our daughter’s name was removed from the top of list. We were disappointed she wasn’t picked, but I was angry because of all the effort we had put forth and misinformation we had received. We certainly would have been there early had we been given the proper guidelines.

I was going to enter pictures in the fair, but we were very disappointment because we were too late. My mom went to the fair and said, Can we put these in the entry? And they said we were too late.

The week before the fair I searched online for fair entry information and couldn’t find a thing. The page that came up most often was dated August 2008. I then went to the library in search of the fair pamphlets, but was told they had run out. Because I lacked faith in people answering the fair phone I drove out to the fairgrounds again, this time with my daughter’s three framed photographs. She would have loved a participation ribbon, and even though the photos were all sitting on the table, I was told I had missed the cutoff.

 Anyone can tell by attending our little hometown fair that an immense amount of effort goes into putting it on each year for the people of Bonner County and beyond. However, we were very disappointment by the lack of knowledgeable fair officials and available information. From the frustrated conversations I overheard when people reached the locked fair doors with their entries I know we were not alone. In a time of iPads and in-car DVD players it can be hard to find interesting activities to do with my daughter. The fair would be a great option if accurate information was readily available making participation easier for all.

COURTNEY CARRIS

Soon-to-be kindergartener

CAMI CARRIS

Sagle