Great White Fair

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – On stage was a hypnotist, doing one of those shows where he attempts to make ordinary people lose their inhibitions and cluck like a chicken in public.

"You won't believe what these people will do!" he said.

I scanned the crowd, skeptical. Could these people really let go? I'm pretty sure they could: I saw several of these acts in college. What concerned me a little bit more was the crowd at the Kansas State Fairgrounds: 600 people in this audience, and not a recognizable minority in sight.

To say the fair was very white would be an understatement. This fair could have been the site of auditions for a movie on the Third Reich.

Kansas is a diverse state these days. I spend my lunch breaks switching between authentic tortas, wonderful pho and sometimes passable Chinese food. Minority business ownership is increasing, and people are drawn to the industrial and service jobs locally. What it seems they can't be drawn to, is the state's celebration of its agricultural past.

I went to the fair on a rare day off from the newspaper (I'm scheduled to return on Saturday as part of an assignment, but things wouldn't the same on deadline), expecting to get yet another peak into Kansas life. What I found was an odd fact about the state in 2006: a state where people honor traditions, but only those with a tangible connection to these traditions.



Many of the people at the fair weren't farmers, but had a connection to the field. "My father was a farmer in Dodge City," was a common refrain. This ensures a healthy crowd – attendance was up 10% over last year – but not necessarily a diverse one. I struggled to see more than two or three minorities at the fair, with the obvious exception of Native Americans peddling crap "Western" merchandise.

To be relevant, the fair needs to step outside of its traditional audience. There needs to be more an effort to include the histories and traditions of some of the more recent arrivals to the United States. One shouldn't need to have been in Kansas for eight generations to feel welcome at this great assembly. The New York State Fair, while not perfect, has exhibits on African, Asian and Native American history and culture. There's fun, food and assembly – the same as any other fair. People welcome these exhibits and they're an important part of the audience. If the Kansas fair wants to ensure their future, they'd be wise to do the same.