http://www.daftmusings.com/2007/08/13/the-san-mateo-county-fair/ by Carolyn Bickford Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:38:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.daftmusings.com/2007/08/13/the-san-mateo-county-fair/#comment-121 Susan Bell Mon, 17 Sep 2007 03:20:04 +0000 http://www.daftmusings.com/?p=352#comment-121 Hate to tell you, but my children were subjected to a screeching gate guard's search and seizure of contraband as vile as (gasp) water bottles when they visited the San Mateo County fair this year. My sons' competitive entries, which were written about in both the Mercury News and the SM County Times, were nowhere to be seen in the department they won awards in; neither did he receive the ribbons or cash premium he was entitled to for his winning entries. The management at the fair was hopelessly incompetent, never advised entrants of cancelled events (there were several) or returned phone calls. We finally gave up after being told the fair's coordinator had taken a week off, the last week the fair office was open, for his own "sanity." I've participated in the fair for 35 years, my kids have volunteered their time for at least ten of those years, and this was by far the most poorly managed SM fair I've ever witnessed. Leads me to believe, as soon as the Bay Meadows Developement Project goes through and demolishes our historic racetrack, the fair will go the way of all. Hate to tell you, but my children were subjected to a screeching gate guard’s search and seizure of contraband as vile as (gasp) water bottles when they visited the San Mateo County fair this year. My sons’ competitive entries, which were written about in both the Mercury News and the SM County Times, were nowhere to be seen in the department they won awards in; neither did he receive the ribbons or cash premium he was entitled to for his winning entries. The management at the fair was hopelessly incompetent, never advised entrants of cancelled events (there were several) or returned phone calls. We finally gave up after being told the fair’s coordinator had taken a week off, the last week the fair office was open, for his own “sanity.” I’ve participated in the fair for 35 years, my kids have volunteered their time for at least ten of those years, and this was by far the most poorly managed SM fair I’ve ever witnessed. Leads me to believe, as soon as the Bay Meadows Developement Project goes through and demolishes our historic racetrack, the fair will go the way of all.

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