Common sense should prevail

For many years, the National Peanut Festival has brought about excitement and anticipation, from the corn dogs, funnel cakes and elephant ears to the arts, crafts and livestock, not to mention, the rides whizzing around. How wonderful to see the joy in my children’s eyes. It evoked a lot of conversation at the dinner table, such as what they had done or were going to do. Then there is the parade with all the beauty queens and floats.

However, for the last couple of years, the festival has meant dread and drudgery. Before the festival even starts, the volunteers are invited to a kick-off banquet which is normally full of food and entertainment. It serves as a thank-you for volunteering.

Unfortunately, the last few years, it has gone from food, fun and entertainment, to finger food and a complete joke.

A volunteer with the festival is expected to attend meetings and fulfill certain obligations according to the specific division the volunteer is with. The new requirements are almost impossible to meet, especially if a full-time job is held and a household is to be kept up.

Rules are needed to “weed out” those who want to reap the benefits without doing the work. But why penalize those who do all they can and fulfill their family and job obligations?

Livestock is another issue. If a child enters livestock (cows, goats, chickens, etc.), they receive one Ag gate parking pass and one ticket to enter the fairgrounds.

This sounds great on the surface. However, that animal is in a barn a minimum of two days and and has to be fed multiple times. After that one ticket is used, the child and the rest of the immediate family has to pay admission at the gate — not to ride or enjoy the festival, but to feed and care for their animals.

Ridiculous!

It is as if the festival is trying to penalize the family for doing things together or parents for spending time with their children. It gets very expensive feeding and grooming livestock, not to mention entry fees and transportation. Do not misunderstand; everyone does not need free passes to enter the fairgrounds, only immediate family who are directly involved in caring for the livestock. This is needed for the duration of the time the animals are in the barns.

People want to volunteer their time and display their projects. The festival needs to consider all these things. If not, they may be lacking on volunteers and entries in years to come.

Surely common sense, compassion and understanding will prevail.

Tracy Todd
Midland City