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County Fair Grand Opening Delayed

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 5, 2007

SYDNEY - Soft sand and gopher tortoises have added to delays that will again postpone the grand opening of the Hillsborough County Fair at its new location off State Road 60.

The fair had been scheduled for October.

Organizers promise to move forward with a livestock exposition and hope to host several horse shows and antiques events before next year's fair.

'We wanted to make sure it was totally ready, and we don't believe it is,' fair Director Tom Umiker said. 'We had a great board meeting, and everyone was very enthusiastic, but we just didn't feel comfortable with it.

'In my mind, I couldn't see it happening between now and October,' Umiker said.

Fair board member Steve Davis agreed.

'If you rush and put it together and it's not really as nice as we know it will be, it's a lot harder to get people to come back if their first experience wasn't great,' Davis said. 'The reality of it is that we ran out of time and daylight.'

The sandy soil at the sight, on a ridge east of Valrico, has caused a number of problems, Umiker said. The fair board was forced to bring in hard clay to build a road bed, and 24 gopher tortoises - a threatened species in Florida - had to be relocated to another part of the 60-acre site. Before that could happen, grass had to be planted and trees cut back to accommodate the tortoises, Umiker said.

Trees were removed and sold for lumber, and drainage issues must be addressed so vehicles don't get stuck in mud or soft sand, he said.

'The vendors and animal people are used to it,' but it could cause problems for guests, he said.

Meanwhile, plans for the livestock exposition are under way. Numerous 4-H and FFA groups will participate, showing rabbits, poultry, pigs and cattle. The pigs will be auctioned.

The expo, scheduled for the weekends of Oct. 26-28 and Nov. 1-3, will be open to the public at no charge.

'It's not like we're gonna go backward,' Umiker said. 'We're moving forward.'

At the fair's grand re-opening next year, exhibitors, crafters and a midway, talent show and ice cream crank-off will be some of the features guests can enjoy.

The fair operated for three years at the Florida State Fairgrounds and then for several years at Raymond James Stadium. For the past two years, the board has put on a livestock exposition for youth exhibitors in Riverview in lieu of a full-scale fair.

In October 2005, county commissioners agreed to lease up to 60 acres at the Sydney site for a nominal sum to the nonprofit fair board. Fair leaders have said youngsters who raise animals or plants for exhibition need more opportunities than they get at the Florida State Fair and Florida Strawberry Festival, staged annually each winter.

For information and updates, go to www.hillsborough countyfair.com.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or at yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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