Hello everyone,
I want to say how amazed we are about the response last night for camping registration. It has been a few years since we sold out on opening night, and to have a huge waiting list on top of that, it is impressive. We knew going in that reducing the number of electric sites would have an impact on availability, but we are hopeful that that reduction will also reduce the number of power outages that we incur. Thank you for the calm, quiet, patient line-up that we had last night.
Our campground was designed in the late 1990’s. This means that the electrical code that was used to design it is now many years old. It no longer supports our infrastructure and the increase in the size of campers. Each year we have to spend a lot of time resetting breakers and chasing down gremlins in the system. We ask that you, as campers, remain patient and helpful when those outages occur.
To help us reduce the number of outages even more, please keep in mind the number of appliances you plug in and how those appliances will impact others on the grounds. Please reduce the temperature of your AC units when no one is occupying the camper. Please keep the use of crock pots to a minimum. If you use the microwave, please turn off another appliance before use. Please don’t bring home use refrigerators and freezers to use at your campsite, the campers are not designed to support those. We understand that you are camping for the convenience, there are trade-offs that should occur for those conveniences. You may need to only pack 2 or 3 days of food at a time, you may need to run home or to a store for restocking. Our electric grid will only support the appliances that come with your camper.
We have a total of 99 sites on the grounds. Of these sites, 73 were wired for electric, but 4 have never been supportable as the breaker box just didn’t have the capacity to connect those. A few years ago we disconnected three boxes to reduce strain on the supply. This year, because the transformer blew in 2024 and blasted boiling oil out across the grounds, we disconnected another 6 sites in hopes to keep the system safer and reduce the chance of another blown transformer. We were lucky in 2024 that no one was under that blow out, just a couple of cars that received paint finish damage from the hot oil.
So, we are well aware of our shortcomings in the campground. We are trying to plan an upgrade and expansion of the electric system. This upgrade comes at a cost, over $250,000. At $150 a week per site, minus the electric bill and repairs, that takes a long time to raise the needed money.
We are also limited on space on the fairgrounds. We have 28 acres to work with. Of that 28 acres we must maintain 7.5 acres for parking (zoning ordinance rule). Our buildings take up a lot of acres, so we don’t have room to increase over the 99 campsites that we currently have. This means that there is not a “fair” system to allocate camping spots. We’ve maintained the “first come, first served” concept since the beginning of the campground. We realize the convenience of being able to camp, all of the leadership has experienced that convenience in one way or another. We are just limited to the number of sites we can provide.
I have set up a new email at the fair, suggestions@newaygocountyfair.org, please feel free to use this avenue for constructive, helpful input. We love to hear about helpful ways that we may not have thought of yet. However, be prepared to stand behind your suggestions, we may reach out to you to help implement your suggestion. We are a group of volunteers working toward the better future of our youth and our fair. That is the one goal that we all share, we want a better option for our children.
If you have any questions about the campground, please drop me an email. I’ll definitely respond, it may take a few days, but I will respond.
Thank you for your support of our fair.
Charlie
charlie@newaygocountyfair.org