Few county fairs have 25 cent carnival tickets, one ticket per ride or game these days. Let alone one that comes with all of the carnival fixings: snow cones, cotton candy, funnel cakes (the best), homemade bierock, open 4H livestock barn and a community building full of fair exhibits.
But I know one that does. And it’s nestled in the way west of western Kansas in the town of Leoti. How did I discover this one-of-a-kind county fair and carnival? Well, Leoti is my hometown. It’s where our family’s farming roots grew deep and our childhoods benefited from the freedom of roaming country acreage at home and on the farm.
I’m a 90s kid and small town 90’s kids remember their summers well. They were about swim team, baseball, 4H projects, wheat harvest and eating homemade fruit slushies with a spoon in the treehouse. Your afternoon snack consisted of a laffy taffy stick and jumbo pickle from the pool or a king-sized chocolate bar and oversized fountain drink from the local convenient store on your way out to the farm with dad. And if you passed the swimming test at the pool, you could swim in the deep end and go off of the high-dive to tunes by Amy Grant, Mariah Carey, Shania Twain, N’Sync, Britney Spears or the Backstreet Boys.
But in Leoti, the county fair was, by far, the most anticipated event of the summer. We did all of our 4H stuff during the day and got to spend our summer chore money on 25 cent rides and games at the evening carnival. And it was forbidden to go to the carnival before the chores at the 4H barn were done. Talk about an incentive to get your chores finished! The duck pond kept any tot busy until all of his or her tickets were spent. Your grandparents watched you and your friends ride the tilt-a-whirl, whose rides never seemed long enough. When you arrived at the carousel and whale rides, it was important to get to “your” horse or whale first. They were different colors and somehow your elementary self developed relationships with your favorite ones. You were definitely hardcore if you could ride the rock-and-roll over and over or spin the buckets in the spider throughout the ride. At the end of your night, you may ride the train whose tracks outline the entire carnival so you could gaze at all of the lights. Then you get your funnel cake for the trek over to the 4H barns to check on the animals one last time before heading home just to do it all again the next day.
So what’s the big deal about some nostalgic childhood fair memories? A few things. It has retained its 25 cent rides and games price to date. You’ll even find rolls of tickets at the ticket booth that have been purchased by those who want to donate to the fair. The county owns their own carnival rides and the carneys work on a volunteer basis. Another fact: some community members choose to have memorials made to the county amusement association after they pass away. I hope I’m making it rather obvious that this community takes pride in their annual county fair.
Now let me take a moment to be completely honest about a lesson learned. Once I left for college, I thought my little town and all of the fair hubbub wasn’t that great. Fast forward twelve plus years and here I am, bringing my babies back to the Wichita Co. Fair because it is an experience like nothing else. It is the small town fair and carnival that you read about in children’s books. And all the children who enter will hold onto those memories for a lifetime.
Interested in coming to the Leoti fair? I hope so! You can enjoy the fair this year from July 31st to August 3rd, 2019. The carnival runs from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday of the fair. If you can’t come this year, jot it down for next summer at the end of July! A LOT of people travel to this fair and it is a summer tradition for others. I traveled 6+ hours with my two little guys to come and it’s totally worth it! Click the following links for more fair information: Wichita County Fair Association Wichita County Carnival and Amusement Association Wichita County Extension Agency
