The Plymouth State Fair was the most recent casualty, folding about five years ago. Fairs keep the state's agricultural traditions alive. They also offer an attraction that draws about 800,000 visitors annually. For many families, it's the experience of going to a real county fair. The midway has its share of visitors, but most fairgoers also walk through the sheep barn, watch the oxen pull or ooh and ahh over the mega-vegetables on display.
Fairs cater to that idea.
And then there's the community involvement of a fair - the social capital of community ties and the real capital raised by local groups. Fairs give a financial boost to organizations that run booths and provide most of a fair's needed volunteer labor. That's a question lawmakers should weigh carefully. One of the bills will be a tough call in a year dominated by the school-funding crisis. The rest would be added to the awards for contest winners.