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What Goes Up Must Come Down: Aftermath of CC Fair

	By Catherine Ellerton Moapa Valley Progress Submitted April 23, 2008 It took a year to put together and less than a week to take down. It took hundreds of volunteers to run. It took many individuals willing to bring their animals, their crafts, their talents to share. It was four days of great weather, fun, food, joy, entertainment and tears. It was the Clark County Fair and Rodeo. For eight articles I have followed the many steps that it takes to put together the Clark County Fair and Rodeo. I felt it fitting to complete that story.	The last ride has been taken down. The Inland Empire Shows and Royal West Amusements’ rides and booths hit the road for the net ‘gig’.

The 4-H and FFA animals were judged, awarded and sold. It was a time of hard work, dedication, bonding and learning. Mandy May was happy with the way her project Lamb, “Jasper,” showed. He did (kind of) what he was supposed to do. Mandy said that she will probably take the same project next year. Arden Bundy was another 4-H member whom I caught leaving the pens after he had cleaned them. He is a first year member of the “Get ‘Er Done” 4-H Club. His project was a Steer. After the months of working with and bonding with his steer, and although he knew this was the ultimate end of the project, he was sad when he loaded his steer in the trailer and took off its halter for the last time and they had to say good-bye.

In the Jr. Livestock Building I found Cynthia Taylor who is in her last year of FFA. Her project was Pigs. Her lessons learned were those of maintaining records (The Overall Senior Record Book Award), volunteerism (cleaning the Jr. Livestock Building each day over and beyond what she was hired to do), competitiveness (Runner-up for the Rodeo Queen) and sharing (her pig was purchased by Lin’s Market and will be donated to Cappalappa). Cynthia plans on becoming a Veterinarian.

	Fine Arts Building Director, Margaret Houston takes down classic car display after the Fair.		I talked with several of the vendors as they packed up their boxes and loaded them in their trailers. The folks with Mecham Pottery out of Toquerville, Utah, reported that it took 1-2 days to set up their display and 1 ½ hours to pack it up. They attend over 20 Mountain Men Rendezvous a year. In the Fine Arts Building, the volunteers were busy taking down the building decorations. Knowing it had taken the Dickson sisters (Mary Ann Cox, Nikki Fessler, Laurie Flynn, Kay Parent and, sometimes, Beth Lawter) well over a month to plan and assemble the decorations in the Horticulture area, it seemed a shame to take it all down, now. These sisters have been doing the decorations for five years and are looking forward to year six. The rodeo arena was silent and the lights were off. Slowly the last of the big trucks and horse trailers were exiting the grounds. The cowboys/girls were dusty and tired but were eager to head to another rodeo to continue their quest to beat the clock and win over the beast.

And lastly, but not leastly, the carnival was packed up and ready to go. The merry-go-round had spun its last spin and the lights were dimmed. The carnival crew went to work immediately to disassemble each ride and booth. Each booth has a team of 2-3 operators who are responsible for tearing it down and packing the pieces on the trucks.

As I sadly left the Fair Grounds, I took out the Magic Wish Bubble blower I had obtained from vendor Valeri Poteete of Wenchcraft of Las Vegas. I made a wish to return again to the Clark County Fair and Rodeo and blew that wish into the Magic Bubbles to set it free to be granted in 2009.