Written by Bailey King
Searcy’s biggest event of the year has come and gone — and I am not referring to the inauguration. I am, in fact, talking about the White County Fair. The fair has been coming to White County since 1937. I’ve been privileged to attend for the past nine years as a native Searcean. I make no exaggeration when I say that in my mind, the fair is truly the crux of what it means to experience the South.
The car races, the rodeo, the rides, the food, the animals, the people watching, the sheet of yellow tickets crammed into your pocket, the feeling of gravel in your shoes, the food sloshing around in your stomach after a few too many rides on the “Scrambler.” Nowhere else can you ride a ride that has you seated on practically a plank of wood with only duct tape for a seatbelt. Nowhere else can you spend $100 and only leave with a giant “South Park” pillow and a stomachache. I spoke with a few underclassmen that had never been to a rodeo or the fair before, and the consensus was that it seemed “exactly like Hannah Montana: The Movie” or that it reminded them of an episode from the show “Euphoria” or something generally out of a movie. I was blown away that they had received some culture shock from the experience. Nevertheless — the Fair is nostalgic for me. I think back to going there in junior high and praying I’d get to sit next to my crush on a ride. In high school, it was the week where for at least one night you could dress up with your friends and go giggle in a circle at the cute guys in line in front of you. It’s the time for “If I die on this ride…” conversations with your best friend who is holding all of your belongings for you outside and gnawing on a six-pound turkey leg without a second glance from anyone.
I am not ashamed to admit that every year without fail, I romanticize the fair, even with all its worn-down rides and various barnyard smells. There is something about it that is so intrinsically “American.” You can’t help but participate. Most importantly, though, the fair has given us Harding students a way to interact with our community. Whether it be buying from a local business, giving a child your leftover tickets at the end of the night or simply being kind to volunteers, you are making a difference in this community. If you did not get to go last week, you haven’t missed your chance. Thankfully the State Fair is next month in Little Rock! As a final word of advice: If you didn’t feel like throwing up on the way back to your car — you didn’t do it right.
