COOPER COUNTY — Moments before opening day at the Cooper County Fair, the rides were taken away along with a $5,000 deposit.
On July 13, the carnival ride vendor, Amusement Associates LLC, announced that they completely shut down.
The company blames its inability to pay insurance for its rides for the closure.
The vendor provided rides for the Cooper County Fair for the last three years.
“This was the first time I can remember ever having one canceled on us,” said Cooper County Fair Board President Bryan Larm.
Larm shared that after some community support, the show still goes on.
Community members immediately stepped in, providing games and new types of attractions.
“We had a lot of people calling around to find out where we could find stuff for the games, and got them set up pretty quick,” said Larm.
Erwin Henson traveled all the way from Gravois Mills, bringing his $4,800 live pony carousel and train rides service to the fair for free when he heard the news.
“That’s why I do this deal is to get, to have kids be able to do something that they may not ever get to do,” said Henson.
While this year’s entertainment may look different, the purpose remained; that is to provide youth the opportunity to explore agriculture and business within their community.
“It’s really nice to get all the people from our town in for the rides, and they come in for that part, but for the agriculture and stuff, like our county’s good at getting everyone participating still,” said youth livestock show participant Morgan Baker.
There’s a lot more to enjoy outside of the traditional rides, such as a dunk tank, live music, a nine-hole golf course, and more.
The fair runs until July 25, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Most of the games and events will take place after 5 p.m.
Fair leaders say the lingering issue of replenishing the $5,000 deposit will be handled after the fair is over.