Robert A travelled to the Cleveland County Fair this past Sunday evening. Mostly to observe and reconnoiter. Robert A has a general pattern that he typically runs and observations that he typically makes when he goes to the Cleveland County Fair. And talks to as many people as possible along the way. Robert A has visited the Cleveland County Fair many times since he was a child with his parents, with friends, with girlfriends, with his own children and on his own. Robert A has seen many changes to this so-called Agricultural Fair over the years. Some changes were good. Some changes are not good at all. Once there were two versions of the Cleveland County Fair. One Fair for White folks and another completely separate Fair for the Black folks. This article is NOT about that.
Presently, Robert A arrives to the Fair from North Post Road heading South. He takes the first Fair parking entrance and takes a left into the entrance. Robert A parks in a conspicuous location so he can easily find his way back to his vehicle when he returns. Robert A has learned the hard way that there must be a thousand white trucks that look the same when the parking lot is full and it is dark. Robert A walks to the trolley pickup spot and rides the trolley to the back entrance to the Fair. Often talking to people on the way.
Robert A already knows that the Commissioners have given the Fair $167,500 without any financial justification and has heard that the NC General Assembly (Speaker Tim Moore) has given the Fair another $1,000,000. AND, the Fair has cut out free admittance for senior citizens. As Robert A is now officially a senior citizen AND Robert A’s and other Cleveland County tax-payer’s dollars were part of these giveaways. Taking away that Senior Citizen’s benefit does not sit well with Robert A. Right from the start.
When Robert A reaches the entrance ticket area and informs the attendant that he is a Senior Citizen, he is told “$5 dollars please.” As Robert A slips a $20 under the glass, he is told that Senior Citizens and Children’s tickets are half-priced. Robert A quick; y calculates in his head that the General Admittance ticket prices has increased 25% and his savings for the Senior Citizen’s ticket are actually much less than 50%. Robert A wonders just how much of that increase in ticket price was inflation or just greed on the part of the Fair Board and Commissioner Fair Board Member Kevin “Mad Dog” Gordon. The $5 ticket price is actually $5 more that at the last Cleveland County Fair, when the price for Senior Citizens was $0. Robert A vows to himself that if he runs for Commissioner in 2024 and wins, He would refuse to sit on any other Board. As, to do so, would automatically mean he would be in an instant conflict of interest. Who would he be representing? The taxpayers’ best interest or the other board’s best interest?? From Robert as perspective, these other groups want Commissioners on their Boards as a way to suck up on tax dollars. Those other Boards will be disappointed when Robert A refuses to sit on their Boards. They would be even more disappointed when Commissioner Robert A would require all their financial statements, as well as how much their organization actually benefitted Cleveland County before he voted one red cent to any group seeking funding from Cleveland County taxpayers. But that is a story for another day. Closer to the 2024 Commissioner Elections.
So, Now Robert A is within the Fair Grounds. All the way on the back side. Robert A looks at some tractors and some old time bath tubs on the way to the animal exhibits. Robert A starts on the left side. Looks at the exotic animals, follows the crowd out the back side and over to the back door of another space row of exhibits. And out the front door. Robert A notices the “Poultry” building is shut down.
Robert A remembers back about 30 years when he took his kids to the Fair. When going through the Poultry building, a big red hen had just laid an egg. That big red hen was so very proud of her freshly laid egg, she was “clucking” at every person that went by. Robert A, his kids and everybody else was impressed by that hen that was so proud of her egg. When Robert A saw the Poultry, building was now shut down, it saddened him. Even a big red hen, with a brain not much larger than two peas, had sense enough to put a high value on her freshly laid egg. So much value that, given the chance, that big red hen would hatch that egg into a chick. Never to think about aborting that egg. That she had a constitutional right to abort that egg, just because she could. How is it that a pea brained big red hen had more sense than some people he knows. Women AND men.
Then Robert A goes through the horse and pony areas that were sparse on the horses and ponies. Then into the “Livestock” area where there were no livestock at all. So much for an “Agricultural” Fair.
Now Robert A heads up the Midway. Eating spots here, there and everywhere. Finally, Robert A sees Barry McKee from Fallston helping run a fruit and vegetable booth. All kinds of fruits and vegetables. Pickled eggs, Honey, etc. Finally, real agricultural stuff. Although it was the ONLY agricultural stand that Robert A saw at the Fair. Robert A bought a bottle of water from “Horty,” saying he wasn’t going to carry a big jar of pickled eggs all around the Fairground. That he would buy his produce and stuff from Horty’s place in Fallston. And urges everybody else to do the same. Robert A then heads on up the Midway toward the Water Wheel.
As Robert A approaches the Exhibit Halls, he notices the Gazebos along the way. Sheriff Alan Norman had one. Then another one. Then the Gazebo with Danny Blanton and Ronnie Grigg for School Board signs. Robert A immediately understands that the Rogue Republicans have driven Blanton and Grigg for School Board candidates away. On their own. To their OWN Gazebo. Actually, it was a smart move for Danny Blanton and Ronnie Grigg to have their own Gazebo. It is on the outside of the Exhibit Hall with much more exposure to the people travelling up and down the Midway.
School Board Candidate Danny Blanton tells Robert A that he should go into the Exhibit Hall and take a look at the CCS School’s exhibits. Blanton continues, “I am not going to say another word to you about those exhibits.” “Go see for yourself”. Just like Robert A likes to say. “Then come back and tell me what you think.” So, Robert A goes into the Exhibit Hall and looks closely at every single one of CCS Schools and other exhibits.
Every one of these exhibits had the theme “A New Beginning.” Robert A was immediately puzzled and confused. The words “New” and “Beginning” have somewhat similar meanings. Later, when writing this article, Robert A googled “What does the phrase “a new beginning mean?” And, all Hell breaks loose. There is no one size-fits-all definition. “A new beginning” has as many meanings as there are people on this earth, So, Robert A will simply NOT go there. Especially since Danny Blanton’s suggestion to look at the different exhibits was clear. Crest High School’s effort in constructing an exhibit was, at first glance, totally lacking. Their whole exhibit area was covered with blank white paper. A bushel or so of dirt was dumped in the center on the floor. And several puny looking flowers (Mums) were planted on the top of the pile of dirt. Only one word was used (twice) in that exhibit. WATER, with an arrow pointing to the flowers. All the other exhibits were clever and wordy to no end. However, the Crest HS exhibit, considering that there is an infinite way to interpret “a new beginning” was just as good as any other exhibit. But won no ribbons. There was no “E” for effort in the judging. And, there was no “E” for effort displayed in the CHS exhibit. Although there could have been lots of thought. Robert A, observing that the Project Theme “A New Beginning” is not representative of the “thinking” or “culture” at CCS. “New Beginnings” typically applies to some sort of “change for the better.” And as long as Robert “Luke: Queen is the CCS School Board Chairman, there is NO chance of any change for the better on the horizon at CCS.
Then, Robert A passed by the Cleveland County Democrat Party Fair Booth and it was on!!
The Democrat Party Fair Booth is located in the Fair Exhibit Hall in a much better travelled area than the Republican Party Booth. It has been that way for as long as Robert A can remember. It is almost certain the Fair charges more for that better located booth and the cheap-ass, lazy and rogue Republicans refuse to support their local candidates as well as the Democrats do theirs.