The Jackson County Fair has invaded Scottsboro, Alabama for the week of October 7-11, 2014, but the event may be a waste of money for some. The fair was the 79th annual showing and was presented by Kissel Entertainment. The event featured rides, exhibits, games and great
(yet too expensive) food for attendees at the show. Families could have enjoyed a great time at the fair grounds, but the event wasn't cheap and it didn't feature some of the more prominent attractions like one would find at larger, state fairs and carnivals. The turn out very low in Scottsboro though, and many would think that this would make it easier to enjoy the event but not even small lines could help make the Jackson County event fun.
The Jackson County Fair had over a dozen rides for all age groups. The fair's massive Ferris Wheel towered high in the sky and helped light up the event, while the Moby Dick ride and Gravitron also looked fearsome and stood tall even from a distance. Plenty of games from basketball to darts
(with some games being $3.00 to throw one ball) were available to play with some pretty poor prizes ready for the unlucky winner, while ghost-town like exhibits lined the outside of the fair with ribbon winners and other displays for attendees to check out if they dared. Live entertainment was provided on stage on the night we attended the event as well
(which was probably the best part of the event), but the livestock presentation was a no show and a bit of a disappointment. Most of the staff at the rides were not very friendly and you could sense that they didn't want to be there at all. The spooky haunted house was not very scary at all with most of the animatronics just laying lifeless and not even working. The Jackson County Fair was poorly organized and it was evident within five minutes of stepping into the event.
More troublesome was the high prices of the event. Some concessions such as hotdogs and drinks were priced about right at $1.50 per item, but menu items without a price turned out to be a bit steep such as the chicken on a stick that cost a whopping $7.00. Concessions weren't the only expensive purchase at the fair; attendees needed to pay $2.00 just to park, $4.00 just to get in the gates and tickets were $1.00 per piece with some rides costing multiple tickets just to get on board. We were lucky enough to nab some of the $5.00 off coupons for all you can ride bracelets to cut down on the expense somewhat, but the small event still cost more than we would have liked in the end. The price stayed the same every night at the fair in Jackson County, no matter if turnout was low, while the Dekalb County Fair in Fort Payne had varying specials each night of the event in September that allowed attendees to buy one and get on free or even their ride all night for $1! It is definitely safe to say that if you want to enjoy the fair then I would skip the one in Jackson County. And one of the most interesting aspects of this particular fair was convicts walking around in orange jumpsuits from the local jail with children running all about. My twelve year old daughter immediately looked at me and said, "Mom, why are there prisoners from the Jackson County jail walking around?" And readers, I had no answer for that. I guess the Jackson County Fair is the perfect place for convicts to have their outing while your children run freely around the event. At first, we thought it was just a couple of men in costumes, but upon second glance, we saw they were checking in with the local law enforcement every so often which proved otherwise.
The 79th Jackson County Fair was not as enjoyable while being a bit on the expensive side, and there were not really enough fun attractions to make the trip worthwhile. The small show could have been the perfect event to attend at night with your family and ride until you can't ride anymore but that just wasn't the case. Readers looking to enjoy a fun night out with the family should look for an event outside the Jackson County Fair in 2015 and maybe drive the extra mileage to another event in the surrounding area.
For more information on the event, check out the official
Jackson County Fair in Scottsboro, Alabama website.
Score: 4 out of 10
