While the local news told us that there were two shooting victims last Wednesday night in Allentown, was there actually a third victim, The Great Allentown Fair?
Although I personally no longer attend the fair, I heard of people reluctant to take their children. The shooting incident at Musikfest offered them no encouragment. Pictures from the Fair's first night, and subsequent nights, both from social media and news sources, show the midways less than packed, compared to years ago. However, both fear of Covid, and inversely a pent up demand for entertainment from it, are also factors affecting attendance.
While the mayor, fair society and media are concerned with positive spin, that sort of consideration doesn't occur to this blunt, politically incorrect blogger.
photo by molovinsky taken in 2000
I live across the street from a church that uses their parking lot/land for fair parking. Monies raised are used to support the church. In the past, on a Fri/Sat fair night, the lot is filled to capacity by 5:00pm. This year, at 5:00 pm, if there were 20 cars in the lot I would have been surprised. I suggest that the lack of attendance at the fair was because of the lack of “big name” concerts. Can’t blame the weather, because it was perfect the whole week! NO “name” entertainment, NO fair goers! Without the entertainment draw, one can get the same food, games and rides at the smaller community fairs without the entrance fee or the perception of possible violence!
ReplyDeleteAny idea why they didn't bring in big names this year?
DeleteI'm shocked people avoid crowds over fear of shootings. They are so rare at the clubs (great security guards), let alone worldwide. No big grandstand shows? I think those people come for the show and leave immediately. Inflation is what keeps people away from things like the fair. Vote Republican and stop believing in man-made global warming and the fair will be full again!
ReplyDeleteI don't know that the shootings had anything to do with the crowds. As others have pointed out, a lack of big name shows at the grandstand and inflation are the likely top causes.
ReplyDeleteI would also add that I believe that the Allentown School District started their school year before the Fair this year, instead of after Labor Day (and the Fair closing). That could have caused responsible parents from taking their kids there during the week on what was now a school night.
The Fair definitely was much more expensive this year, for what for the most part has become cookie-cutter rides, food stands and amusements. There is very little that is unique to the Allentown Fair anymore, and I suspect that one could likely find much of the same thing at any other stop on the carnival circuit. They didn't have to wait for the Allentown Fair to get that. If they wanted something bigger and better, they could have taken a short ride to Dorney Park to get better rides and a water park with many of the same generic food choices.
Back to the shootings. If the shootings were a factor, it was a case of a perception of danger over reality. Here again the Fair did itself no favors.
I'm sure adding metal detectors to the admission gates seemed like a good idea in the wake of the shooting at Musikfest, but the reality is that they did NOTHING to increase safety. The Allentown Fair isn't an enclosed arena with walls and limited points of entry. It's a 2 and a half block extravaganza with metal fencing along the sides. In addition, people can walk in there unchecked literally up to the night before the Fair starts.
If anyone really wanted to do harm at the Fair, they could have easily stashed a weapon (or weapons) ahead of time on the Fairgrounds property. If they didn't want to do that kind of pre-planning, anyone could have easily handed a weapon through the open-air fence during the Fair almost anywhere along the fence line.
Maybe the Fair did manage to have those legally permitted from carrying a handgun leave their weapons in their cars, or maybe they just stayed home altogether. But those legally permitted to carry are statistically highly unlikely to commit a crime.
But the metal detectors did remind everyone what COULD happen, and sent the message to attendees that they might not be in the safest area. That surely doesn't help promote attendance.
I doubt that we will see metal detectors installed at the Allentown Farmers Market, which is on Fairgrounds property and open year-round. I can only hope that the Fair rethinks this useless policy and removes the metal detectors going forward.