Another thing that has hurt the fair attendance is something that no one has control over and that is the Weather!!!!! Either to hot to breathe or raining buckets.

I haven't been to the fair in years. The big reason is the lack of entertainment and the parking situation. While country acts may "sell" better than others, there needs to be more variety. I'd also love to see local bands up on the grandstand stage. Have them open for the headliner or even do their own show. If the fair board wants butts in the seats they need to get an act people are going to enthusiastically come see...not an act they're going to settle for. Another year of country acts and the Blue Collar Comedy jerks will not get me to attend. That will get me to spend my money in the next county with a better lineup or at Riverfest that always manages to have something for everyone.

I'd love to see the 4H board poll the county somehow to see where the interests of the people truly are. That way they could see where the holes in the bucket are, fix those problems and make more money.

Thank you for the reminder that it isn't only about Rock County 4-H members but includes other youth groups as well. I can understand how this can be misunderstood since it is labeled as the Largest 4-H Fair in the country. Somehow the other groups, like FFA and scouts, are missed in this description causing some confusion. I feel that bring in Heatwave for an evening would be a great way to again showcase what our youth has to offer. Putting them in a tent on the side really doesn't do them justice.

The Rock County Fair is a family oriented event held each year to showcase the talents of our county's youth so I do not understand why alcohol would even be considered an issue. There are plenty of areas for alcohol consumption but at an event for children and young adults it is not appropriate.

When we are told that the non-country acts cost more to book than a country act that tells me something about the quality of the choices you are looking at. A higher priced band is usually able to charge that price because they sell tickets. If a rock band is only starting to make their way into the music arena how can they cost that much more than a country group that has been on the scene for a year with one break-out song? N'Sync has the second highest attendance record and that was their second year performing with only one break-out song. It would be great if the fair board was willing to take a chance on some new upcoming talent other than country but it is understandable why they stick where they are comfortable. New bands can be risky but may also be well worth the chance in increased revenue.

Bottom line, life is free will. If you want to go to the fair for animals, food, and entertainment then go. If nothing catches your eye, don't go. The choice is yours.

ray53511, I don't know if you've been to any concerts lately but Alcohol does get served at most of them...even the Riverfest. Now personally, I don't drink, never had and never will. I do agree with you that if something is planned for the kids it shouldn't have alcohol being served.Now about Sheriff Spoden providing Officers ....Thats a Joke! Thats a whole entire story in itself....lol. But if The 4H Fair and the Riverfest did get good acts it'll attract people from other areas like madison, milwaukee etc. But see Rock County don't want that. People from all over go to Milwaukee's Summerfest, even people from Rock County. These events bring money. See one of the problems is Rock County wants everybody's money but is afraid of allowing anything to come to the community or the county such as different Concerts, or better yet the Casino that could possibly draw people from other areas to coming here. Rock County is afraid that if something goes wrong they'll be negatively labeled and whatever image that they possibly might have would tarnished. I got news for you Rock County, "Yes this is better then Milwaukee and Chicago, but it's surely not the best place to live when it comes to things to do."

ski1357: You hit my point right on the head. bring Nickleback to the 4H Fair....Something different. Or is the County afraid something might happen like a Mosh Pit. I wonder what would the County do if one of those pigs got loose at the fair and hurt someone. Would they stop having pigs at the fair? Country Artist after Country Artist After Country Artists year after Year after year. Congratulations...Country Sells! But likei said earlier so does Pop, Rock and Rap. They should at least give it a try.

The comment about some groups or artists being out of the fairs price range has to do with the poor choices the fair board has made in the recent past. How could they turn down the great deal they would have received for the new grounds? You get new grounds, you can build a new grandstand like they have in Elkhorn that was jammed 3 nights last year. New grounds would help bring in new and more revenue, thus being able to book better acts on the main stage. I would love to see the fair be able to book groups like Nickleback, and even Rascal Flatts. People from all over the state would come for this. I'm really getting sick of seeing the fair book nobodys like Lady Antebellum, (oooooh one song that barely made the top 10), what a great show that will be!!!!!!!

It's 4-H it'a about the kids, ALCHOL Has no right being even talked about being served on these grounds. If they were ever to serve it i would stop going. When i pay money to a concert whether it be 8.00$ or 80.00$ a ticket I don't wannta worry about some drunk spilling their drink all over me.How Many extra People would Sheriff Spoden need to assign to the grounds if they started serving it? As for the Acts almost all of the acts in recent years have had # 1 songs on the charts. So considering the small price you pay for entertainment into the grounds. We could get Huge acts lkie Summerfest does but will the people of Rock COunty pay 40-50 bucks to get into the grounds? how could a family of 4 spend that kinda of money for 5 days at the Fair you would see a huge drop in attendence.

tipi16: Thanks for the info. from the outside looking in all you here is 4-H fair. I knew other groups like boy scouts and the public schools used the fair to display their activities but, they way the fair is centered around the agriculture business and 4-H in the title I thought they played the lead role in running it.

As for the people that want booze I hope they don't. You don't need a drink to have a good time. It would become another summerfest. If you stay past dark there is a good chance you will get into a fight or get puked on. The few people that can't hold their booze ruin it for everyone.

greenst: The Rock County Fair is run by the Rock County Fair Board and not by 4-H. 4-H is a program run by the UW-Extention. The fair has exhibitors from 4-H, FFA, Rock County Schools, and the Girl and Boy Scouts. My neice is on the fair board and the price for the "popular" groups are out of the Fair Boards price range. There is more to the fair than who is the night show. Hey I think they should put Heatwave (the 4-H show choir) on at the grandstand. Also how many of you know that Rock County Fair is the largest (4-H FFA etc) youth fair in the states. that is not size of the grounds but the number of exhibits. It would be nice to get a new fair grounds some day so the horses ,ponies,swine breeding stock, and othe prefair exhibits could be at the fair too.

Although the attendance numbers for the country acts are high has anyone ever broken down the numbers of those present to understand why? Anyone showing at the fair is given a season pass and since the 4-H program is country oriented it makes sense the seats are filled with these members and their families. My children were in the 4-H program for years and both my husband and I were leaders yet none of us are country music fans. Just because we had season passes and our friends and families paid admission to see our children's accomplishments does not mean we were anywhere near the grandstand during performances.

My question is; are the people paying admission just to come to see the acts or would they still pay the admission to see all that the fair has to offer and the evenings entertainment is a bonus?

The 4-H clubs in this county are made up of many members and leaders with unique talents and skill levels and that variety is what makes the 4-H program great. Now the Fair Board members need to embrace that variety in the entertainment as well.

Since my children have grown I no longer attend the fair because I am not a country music fan.

It's the 4-H Fair, not Cinco de Mayo.

bjordan,
I agree with you, that it would be nice if there was more variety in the musical acts. We can just added this to the list of things that will not change in the Rock Co. area. This is a nice place to live but somethings will never change. Most people like to think we are small town and want to keep it that way. They have this idea that the area should still be like it was in the 50's. Everyone shopped downtown, there weren't so many stop lights and so on. We are in a catch 22. To big to be small town and to small to get get some of the opportunities that larger communities have. People have complained about no shopping, dinning, or entertainment for years. If the area does get something it just wont last. People have no problem going to Madison, Rockford or Milwaukee to spend money, they just wont do it here. Thing have changed some, Janesville has gotten some shopping and Beloit has nice places to eat but, it has been slow. Maybe things will change more as the next generation takes over or more people not from the area move in but, for now things around here are bound to stay the same. If you can't get it at Farm & Fleet you just don't need it.

If you take a look at the attendance records for the 4H fair, you can see that the country artists bring in by far the most people. I can appreciate the fact that everybody has their own music preferences, that is great, however, the numbers speak for themselves. They have provided rock and other formats of music, but they do NOT draw the crowds that are needed to support the cost.

1) Trisha Yearwood 1995 28,395
2) 'N Sync 1998 25,226
3) Confederate Railroad 2003 24,790
4) Lorrie Morgan 1998 24,748
5) Michael Peterson & Bill Engvall 1998 24,558
6) Tiffany 1988 24,280
7) Lee Ann Womack 2001 23,798
8) Kenny Rogers 1978 23,163
9) Bill Engvall 2005 22,686
10) Blackhawk 1996 22,617
11) Ricky Skaggs 1996 22,167
12) Lonestar 2001 22,139
13) Toby Keith 1995 22,070
14) Jamie Walters 1995 21,685
15) Audio Adrenaline 2002 21,499
16) Clay Walker 1999 21,247
17) Garth Brooks 1991 21,126
18) REO Speedwagon 1999 20,426
19) Willie Nelson 2000 20,399
20) JoDee Messina

Thank you just6ofus I agree with you. But far as MajorMojo yeah you're right maybe Country do sell, but so does rap or better yet hip hop because it is a difference if you didn't know. R&B sells, Rock sells and so does Pop. All I'm saying is everyone don't like country music or would prefer some variety. I mean, you go to the riverfest or the 4H Fair, pay your $8.00-$10.00 admission, you see 5 or stages and all of them have country lineups. Where's the variety? Go to Milwaukee's Summerfest...they have everything. Maybe this area should contact Milwaukee for some advice. I also think taht when it comes to these fairs and fest, Rock County is so afraid of what might happen, Oh people from Rockford, Madison or other areas might come up and create problems, Traffic issues, Police and Security issues. this area has the mindset of What if this happens," and they stop at that. Instead of thinking if this happens we'll take this action. Milwaukee's Summerfest didn't become popular overnight. They made throught Trial and Tribulations.

the fact of the matter is that country music does not sell. year after year, we down at riverfest put in one country act every year and that pretty much ended up being the worse night for both attendance and beer sales. the reason i think that they do country is because the 4h is pretty much about the country, horses pigs etc. i feel if they were to bring in more than one rock group per year, even on there shoestring budget that they could get a great attendance count for those days. look at the numbers for foreigner last year, good numbers and the past years were good numbers also. i think i made my point

bjordan, you are a joke. You think it is a big racial conspiracy that they do not bring in blues and rap. HA. Country music sells, get over it.

I am not putting Country Music down in now way. In fact, I too listen to all kinds of music. I understand that some people like Country music and want to hear Country music and thas fine, but get a act that young people can enjoy too. Thats all I'm saying. Maybe I should've never said anything about race and I apologize for that. But since N Sync came to the 4H Fair, when was the last time Janesville ever had a artist for young people...Since K-ci and Jo-Jo (Jodeci) came to Beloit Riverfest have they had any other acts for young people to enjoy? No they haven't! everybody keeps bringing up the money issue. Who put these Fairs and Fests together don't have to go out there and a modern day big time R&B, Rap, Pop or Rock Artist, but they can go get one that was popular like between 2-4 years ago. Thats how Jodeci was. We can have Country on one stage, R&B or whatever on another stage. We don't need Country everyday the fair or Fest is running.

I think we can all agree that the Rock Co. Fair can not hold a candle to the Walworth Co. Fair. If I do go to one it would be to Elkhorn. I don't know what would help the Rock Co. fair maybe the 4-H should not run it or another group could start its own fair. Couldn't they use they same grounds? Its owned by they county not the fair right? I wish I had an answer to why the fair in Janesville has gotten so lame but I don't.

I am not a huge country fan but I like some songs and artists. I will say the country acts I have seen put on a excellent show at the fairs. If you look at the majority of the people that go to a 4-H run fair they will heavily favor a country artist. Most of the people that go to a 4-H fair are farmers and enjoy country music. Is it not the main reason to have a 4-H fair to show their livestock? To make money they must cater to their customers. I just don't see how race has anything to do with what music you like. I am white does that mean that I should not like some R&B or Hip Hop, because I do. I can get into anything from Poka to Ranchare, Bluegrass to Speedmetal or Clasical to Top 40. It is sad and closed minded to think your race should limit you musical enjoyment. Open your mind and ears to something new, you just might like it.

The 4H fair has country music because that is what fills the grandstand, many other shows are not well attened. As for it being more expensive than the Dells, I have to disagree. It's close by (so no high gas bill), family friendly, offers lots to do, and reasonably priced. Plus you can bring in your own sodas & lunch, unlike many attractions in the Dells where you have no choice but to pay through the nose for lunch. Yes the fair needs to move to a larger and better location, I am only sorry that Ken Hendricks vision for a larger fairgrounds never became a reality in his lifetime. He would of loved to make it into a place Rock County could be proud to showcase. I hope someday soon we can get off of the fence a build a new fairgrounds and dedicate a building in honor of Ken Hendricks as a thank you for all he and his family have done for our community.

Well I agree with bjordan. I HAVE contacted the fair board about how bad the fair has gotten. I walked thru this year and after seeing vendor after vendor selling cheap junk I left. I will not be back, I now go to the Walworth fair.
This city does not seem to care about the youth. People have been trying to get a skatepark built, but the city has shown little interest, it seems like everyone would enjoy a new pool instead, yeah, that would be nice today.
As far as I go, I have to travel to Madison, Milwaukee and Spring Green for a taste of culture. JPAC what a joke.

bjordan you are an idiot.
Do you really think that Riverfest, the 4-H fair, or any other body that wants to bring in crowds and make money would purposely book acts NOT to make money?
FYI (that means for your information...just trying to help you out here...) Riverfest DID try the acts that you mentioned. They lost money year after year. Big money. Consistently. They came close to closing up shop. Two years ago, they tried the mix of entertainment that they have now. They made money for the first time. Last year they also made money.
If you know so well how to run these festivals and make money (or even break even) pull your lazy butt off the sofa, put down the budweiser, and volunteer. I am sure they would appreciate the wisdom of someone who knows so well how to do it.
Better yet, being a smart 20 something...start your own festival. Name it the bjordan-fest. Book the acts that you KNOW will bring in all of those crowds. Make tons of money and show Riverfest and the 4H fair how to do it...

Those are some bold accusations, bjordan. I wonder what the process is for scheduling acts for the fair? My guess is that the decisions are made by the Rock County Fair Board. I'm curious if the fair board has previously made a statement that they won't bring R&B, Rock or Pop acts in because it attracts violent fairgoers? Or are you just assuming? Maybe you could contact them and give them your "two cents" and things might change. I don't think making accusations on the gazette forums is going to effect any change in the lineups. Contact them directly.

wow..look another country group performing in Rock County. I have nothing against Country Artist but seriously, everyone in Rock County don't like Country music. Rock County 4H Fair and the Beloit Riverfest should start getting acts that other races like also....R&B acts, Rock Acts and Pop. Several years ago they had N Sync but since then nobody..all country singers. They need to stop always thinking that violence is going to happen. Violence can happen at a Country Concert just like like it can any other concert. This area has nothing for young people to do. Thats why the juvenile Detention is filled up thats why the jail is filled up. This area has so much money but they never invest in anything for young people. look at what types of acts Milwuakee has for its Summerfest...its a variety. They have acts for everyone old or young; regardless of race. I'm sure Janesville will and/or Beloit would make alot more money if they had different acts. Beloit Riverfest used to bring in a lot of money from the acts that they had back in the 90's but then they started having only Country Acts, Foriegner, REO Speedwagon...its the same acts every year. I'm tired of it because I'm in my 20's and I have to drive to Milwaukee or Madison just to see a Act when Beloit /Janesville was money on getting the same acts that they've been booking for the past 10 years. They don't even have new songs......Sometimes I think that what they're trying to do is keep certain races from attending these affairs. They know african americans and hispanics don't like country so because of that, they'll keep booking Country Acts. Its Ridiculous!