Monday, Sept. 28, will see an historic event for the county: the Fayette County Fair will begin and when it ends Oct. 3, it won't ever be on that spot again.

When Robert K. Price and others started the Fayette County Kiwanis in the fall of 1951, they decided that an organized County Fair was an important issue to pursue.

Prior to that, as far back as current natives can recall, there was a carnival that came each year and parked on what was an empty lot about where the old Fayetteville train depot sits now on Lanier Avenue near Jeff Davis Drive.

There was no one in particular to hold these old time carnivals to any degree of honesty in their games. "However," said Fayette native Ed Travis, "if they cheated too many folks, the people would run them out of town."

The Kiwanis staged its first Fair in the fall of 1952 on an old football field, down behind the current Board of Education on Stonewall Ave. West, (at the time that was the location of the high school). In 1964 they purchased 35 acres on Redwine Road, built a quonset hut for $25,000 as a permanent building, and they were in business on their own property. The club members constructed the building themselves, and Mr. Price was on the roof pounding down the last nail, when the Fair wagons began pulling in.

The building was used as a skating rink during the year to bring in as much money as possible to cover the $4,000-a-year bank loan. It was important during Fair week to have as good weather as possible, to be sure to bring in the rest of the funds needed. Twice, though, it rained every day and that necessitated the Kiwanis board members to have to dig into their own pockets to cover the loan for that year.

In 1975, the Kiwanis pursued another belief: that the county needed a recreation field. The property and building were then appraised at $79,000 and they donated it all lock stock and barrel to the county commissioners. The gift was to be used to receive a grant from the State of Georgia for $50,000 and this grant was used to create ball fields and buy equipment. Thus, a recreation department was born. The gift included the promise that the Kiwanis could hold its Fair on the grounds until such time as they would locate elsewhere.

In 1981, the Kiwanis purchased 34 acres on Ga. Highway 54 East, but holding the Fair at that site didn't seem to work out. They held onto the site until this year when they sold it and purchased 56 acres off Goza Road, near Ga. Highway 85 South.

Preparing the new site with electricity and water was going to take more time than they had, so the 1998 Fair will be at "Old Kiwanis Field." For the last time.

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