LITTLE ROCK, AR – North Little Rock voters say no to more fire and police and most likely the state fair too. The next move for the Arkansas State Fair might be no move. The other option is Jacksonville.
The designs for a state fair complex in Jacksonville are ready. Now mayor Gary Fletcher hopes the state fair board is ready to commit to a long-term relationship.
“I met with them two years ago and said guys when people love each other they usually get married,” Fletcher says. “I said ‘I love you guys and I think you like us so lets gets engaged,” Fletcher says.
But on the road to midway bliss, the fair got cold feet and waited for North Little Rock’s sales tax vote this week.
“In a sense I was a little hurt because when we first made a proposal there’s this great relationship between Jacksonville and the fair,” Fletcher says. “I felt like the boy asking the girl to marry her and then Diamond Jim Brady (NLR) walks by and she turns her head a little bit and starts showing interest in somebody else.”
State fair director Ralph Shoptaw says realistically it comes down to Jacksonville or trying to add on to the existing 94 acres in Little Rock. A size the board knows is dwarfed by Jacksonville’s offer.
“I would think Gary would be pleased with the situation at hand,” Shoptaw says. “There’s the possibility they might take Jacksonville up on their offer of the 455 acres of land.”
Fletcher says a final answer needs to come soon.
“You know we’re going on two years now and its time we make a decision to do something,” Fletcher says.
If the state fair decides to stay in Little Rock, Fletcher says he is moving forward with a plan to attract what he calls a competing Mid-America fair.
The state fair board says it hosts around 100 events per year at its current location. They estimate a new location could bring in up to 400 events annually.
The state fair board meets December 15th.
The designs for a state fair complex in Jacksonville are ready. Now mayor Gary Fletcher hopes the state fair board is ready to commit to a long-term relationship.
“I met with them two years ago and said guys when people love each other they usually get married,” Fletcher says. “I said ‘I love you guys and I think you like us so lets gets engaged,” Fletcher says.
But on the road to midway bliss, the fair got cold feet and waited for North Little Rock’s sales tax vote this week.
“In a sense I was a little hurt because when we first made a proposal there’s this great relationship between Jacksonville and the fair,” Fletcher says. “I felt like the boy asking the girl to marry her and then Diamond Jim Brady (NLR) walks by and she turns her head a little bit and starts showing interest in somebody else.”
State fair director Ralph Shoptaw says realistically it comes down to Jacksonville or trying to add on to the existing 94 acres in Little Rock. A size the board knows is dwarfed by Jacksonville’s offer.
“I would think Gary would be pleased with the situation at hand,” Shoptaw says. “There’s the possibility they might take Jacksonville up on their offer of the 455 acres of land.”
Fletcher says a final answer needs to come soon.
“You know we’re going on two years now and its time we make a decision to do something,” Fletcher says.
If the state fair decides to stay in Little Rock, Fletcher says he is moving forward with a plan to attract what he calls a competing Mid-America fair.
The state fair board says it hosts around 100 events per year at its current location. They estimate a new location could bring in up to 400 events annually.
The state fair board meets December 15th.
