FORT SILL, Okla. Sept. 18, 2015 -- I felt like I was walking through a movie about a small town.
The summer sun was setting painting the sky a beautiful blue-to-pink ombre. The lights of the fair rides glowed as boys and girls ran through the crowd to get to them. The scent of burgers and cotton candy mixed with the sound of someone yelling "bingo" and I suspect a future Nicholas Sparks book was in the making as teenaged couples strolled past couples celebrating decades of marriage.
Everything was perfect.
In the madness of a very crazy world, the city of Fort Cobb, celebrated its 75th annual Fort Cobb Fair. Under the direction of Michael Sebastian, the fair chairman, the event keeps it's small-town feel, a feeling rich in safety, comfort and good-clean fun. It is something Sebastian said is a goal of the fair.
"It's a place you can bring your kids to and not worry about them," he said. "You feel safe because there aren't a lot of people coming in and causing problems."
It's refreshing.
As a still "new-ish" mother I often am discouraged when I see the headlines of pain and selfishness around the world. I remember a time when I rode my bike around the neighborhood with my friends and stayed out "until the streetlights came on" -- which was the indicator that it was time to go home. I remember not having to call my mom when I went somewhere (mostly because cell phones weren't around then) and her not worrying someone was going to kidnap me.
The world we live in now is so different. With a paranoid mom like me, my poor kid doesn't stand a chance at normal fun.
Except at events like the Fort Cobb fair.
Sebastian said the fair creates a safe atmosphere because the attitude of the people who live in Fort Cobb. The majority of those who attend the fair are citizens of the city or, as Sebastian said, "are kin to them." The result is a reunion of sorts as the close-knit community celebrates generations enjoying the fair. Sebastian himself has lived in the city since 1972 with his wife who was born and raised there. They, in turn, raised their children in Fort Cobb and were enjoying seeing their granddaughter, Claire, 3, have fun at the fair as well.
"It's a family effect," said Sebastian. "It's just a neat experience, a time where the people who have moved on and out of the city bring their kids back for the Fort Cobb fair."
The fair is owned by the Fort Cobb District Fair, a subsidiary of the city, and operated completely through the efforts of local volunteers. Instead of a carnival company coming in and setting up the rides and operating them with their own ticket prices, local volunteers run the rides, the games and act as food vendors on the fairgrounds. Because the city owns the fair and all the labor is through volunteers, Sebastian charged a low fee for tickets. Instead of paying $1 or more per ticket, and then paying three or four tickets per ride, each ticket at the fair was just 50 cents with most rides costing a single ticket and a few larger rides costing two. And, there were rides for all ages -- from my 19-month-old son to myself (I'm a glorious 31 years old).
"Kids can come, spend $20, be here all night long and have money left," he said. "With all the community help, all the money that comes in goes right back into the fair."
Sebastian has seen the fair develop in the 35 years he has been chairman. He said even looking back at photos from the past 75 years people can see how the fair has grown from just a few rides and old wooden buildings in the middle of a field. Today, there are metal structures on concrete floors. The money raised from each year's fair is returned back to help upgrade buildings and rides. There are still some rides that have been around for a few decades that parents who now have grown children can return back to and ride, said Sebastian.
In addition to the fair, which is always on the first weekend after Labor Day, the city organizes a parade on Saturday afternoon with local organizations. This year's parade featured antique cars, tractors and a children's parade complete with decorated bicycles and four-wheel toy cars. This little city does their fairs up right.
"This is the best little fair in the county I think," said Sebastian.
I am inclined to agree.
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