The Fairgrounds is Moving to its New Location

From the Baldwin County Cattle and Fair Association

July 9, 2004

ROBERTSDALE – The oldest continuous county fair to be held at the same location in the State of Alabama will soon be losing its title, said Sonny Hankins, manager of the Baldwin County Cattle and Fair Association in Robertsdale.

“This is a historic day for Baldwin County as we are here to announce that we will be moving into Phase II of a project that has been in the planning stage for the past three years. Those plans call for us to move from our present location at Garrett Park in Robertsdale to a 55-acre site here along Berner Road,” Hankins said.

The 2004 Baldwin County Fair will be the last fair at the present fairgrounds, which has hosted fairs since 1950. During those first 54 years the County Fair has weathered hurricanes, tropical storms and droughts.

“The Baldwin County Cattle and Fair Association was formed in 1948, the Coliseum, which has housed a number of events, including those associated with the Fair, was move to Robertsdale from Blakely Island, where it had served as a commissary during World War II in 1949. The first Baldwin County Fair was staged in 1950,” he said.

Those first county fairs were geared for the agricultural industry, which was a way of life in Baldwin County during the mid-20th Century. As the population continued to increase, and light industry began to make its presence known, industrial exhibits began to be seen during the annual Fair.

“We realize that times continue to change,” Hankins said, “and today we acknowledge that tourism is our number one industry. We also realize that tourist dollars are perhaps the cleanest form of industry that our county could hope to land, as people from all over the Southeast come to our beaches and the Tanger Outlet Mall for their vacations.”

With those changes comes the need to upgrade the Baldwin County Fair’s facilities.

“Our board is made up of second generation Cattle and Fair Association members,” Hankins said. “We realize that if we are to grow, and capitalize on the tourism industry, we are going to have to have a larger fairgrounds area, a multi-purpose arena and exhibit hall.”

Phase I dealt with the initial planning and purchase of the 55-acre tract of land. Phase II, which is expected to cost $2-million, moves the Cattle and Fair Association into the construction phase.

“Thanks to the Baldwin County Commission, the City of Robertsdale and Baldwin County Electric Membership Corporation we have been given the ability to take advantage of the multitude of tourism opportunities,” Hankins said.

Current plans call for the facilities to be used year-around.

“We’ve been contacted by promoters who want to host such events as rodeos, boat shows, car shows, hunting and fishing exhibits, home and garden shows and other such events,” he said.

Hankins said the Coliseum was one of the largest buildings in the county during its heyday.

“A number of political candidates, including Baldwin’s own Jimmy Faulkner, and George C. Wallace of Barbour County, kicked off their gubernatorial campaigns for Southwest Alabama in the old facility,” he said. “As the years have come and gone we have simply run out of space. That’s our main purpose for building the new complex.”

During the construction phase Hankins said the Cattle and Fair Association will be seeking input from the citizens of Baldwin County concerning the facilities.

“One of the ideas that will be going into the plans has to do with the location of restrooms and the number that will be built,” he said. “We will also need volunteers for the upcoming fair, which is scheduled for late September.”

Fair Day is always one of the most anticipated events of the school year.

“Whether its my generation reminiscing about our fondest memories of the Midway, the rides, the fair food, or the generation of today that is building its own memories, the Fair is an all important part of our lives and the life of this county,” Hankins said.

Just as in the early days, when the fair was about home industry, cooking, canning, sewing and the like, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, which has played a major role in the fair, has plans to continue these events at the new facility.

“The Fair is a Baldwin County tradition,” Hankins said. “We want to see that tradition continue in the lives of all Baldwin Countians and the visitors who come to our fair from other areas of Alabama.”