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PITTSBURG —
Each year the Crawford County Fair Board tries to bring something new and exciting to the Crawford County Fair, and this year visitors will notice several significant differences.
For only the second time, the fair will have a Friday night concert in the Grandstand, said Kari West, who handles communications for the Fair Board. Last year’s concert featured Oklahoma based red dirt country band Jason Boland and The Stragglers, and local band Conway Jackson. This year’s show, on Friday, Aug. 3, will feature red dirt bands No Justice and Bart Crow. Tickets for the concert, and a limited number for Saturday’s demolition derby, are available at outhousetickets.com.
“We’re pretty excited to bring that quality of talent to the fair, and we hope people come out for it,” West said.
There likely won’t be a carnival this year, West continued, because the outfit the board was working with went out of business.
“It’s pretty tough to find one that’s not booked this late in the game,” West said. “But we’re keeping our hopes up.”
The board instead will bring in 123 Bounce, of Fort Scott, and that the board is “working with some other groups that are planning some activities.” There also will be a photography contest.
The most noticeable change-up is the absence of quick access to the Crawford County Fair Grounds. Construction is still heavily underway on the three bridges on Kansas Highway 47 between U.S. Highway 69 and Girard, and visitors will have to take one of a series of detours to get to the grounds. West said the board and area law enforcement agents met to determine the easiest and safest routes.
“The biggest thing is that it is going to change the traffic flow and probably cause some congestion that we haven’t experienced in the past,” West said. “We’re trying to keep people on paved roads so it doesn’t create dust issues for neighbors, and so everyone stays as safe as possible.”
West said the board was unsure how the detours would affect attendance to the fair, but said weather conditions would likely play just as much of a role in determining who decides to stay home.
“We hope it doesn’t, but we know there’s that possibility,” she said.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Department and the fair association are asking that all truck and trailer traffic use the following detours:
Each year the Crawford County Fair Board tries to bring something new and exciting to the Crawford County Fair, and this year visitors will notice several significant differences.
For only the second time, the fair will have a Friday night concert in the Grandstand, said Kari West, who handles communications for the Fair Board. Last year’s concert featured Oklahoma based red dirt country band Jason Boland and The Stragglers, and local band Conway Jackson. This year’s show, on Friday, Aug. 3, will feature red dirt bands No Justice and Bart Crow. Tickets for the concert, and a limited number for Saturday’s demolition derby, are available at outhousetickets.com.
“We’re pretty excited to bring that quality of talent to the fair, and we hope people come out for it,” West said.
There likely won’t be a carnival this year, West continued, because the outfit the board was working with went out of business.
“It’s pretty tough to find one that’s not booked this late in the game,” West said. “But we’re keeping our hopes up.”
The board instead will bring in 123 Bounce, of Fort Scott, and that the board is “working with some other groups that are planning some activities.” There also will be a photography contest.
The most noticeable change-up is the absence of quick access to the Crawford County Fair Grounds. Construction is still heavily underway on the three bridges on Kansas Highway 47 between U.S. Highway 69 and Girard, and visitors will have to take one of a series of detours to get to the grounds. West said the board and area law enforcement agents met to determine the easiest and safest routes.
“The biggest thing is that it is going to change the traffic flow and probably cause some congestion that we haven’t experienced in the past,” West said. “We’re trying to keep people on paved roads so it doesn’t create dust issues for neighbors, and so everyone stays as safe as possible.”
West said the board was unsure how the detours would affect attendance to the fair, but said weather conditions would likely play just as much of a role in determining who decides to stay home.
“We hope it doesn’t, but we know there’s that possibility,” she said.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Department and the fair association are asking that all truck and trailer traffic use the following detours:
• From Fort Scott/Kansas City — Drive south on U.S. Highway 69 to just north of Pittsburg, then turn right at 590 Ave., turn west and travel to 190th Street. Turn north on 190th and then go left on Kansas Highway 47. The entrance is the last stop before bridge construction. Enter through the north gates.
• From Pittsburg/Joplin — Travel north on U.S. Highway 69 to the stoplight at 590th Ave., turn west and travel to 190th Street. Turn north on 190th Street and travel to Kansas Highway 47. Turn west on K-47 and drive to the entrance of the fair grounds.
• From Cherokee/Miami, Okla. — Travel north on Kansas Highway 7 to 590 Ave., turn east and travel about 4 miles to 190th Street. Turn north on 190th Street and to k-47. Turn west onto K-47 and drive to the entrance of the fair grounds.
• From Girard/Wichita (K-47, K-7 junction) — Travel south of Girard about 3 miles on K-7 to 590 Ave., turn east and travel to 190th Street. Turn north on 190th Street and travel to K-47. Turn west on K-47 and drive to the entrance of the fair grounds.
