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IiiCONCORD & KANNAPOLIS <br /> de;) endent ldbtme <br /> <br />By ALLAN BOGER <br />Staff Wdtor <br /> The battle llne is forming over the future <br />of the Caba'rus County Agricultural Fair. <br /> On one side of the line is the board of the <br />Cabanas County Agricultural Fair Inc.; on <br />the other, the Cabarrus County Board of <br />Commissioners. <br /> At the focus of the ongoing talks are [he <br />fairgrounds on West Cabarms Avenue at <br />Union Cemetery Road. Members of fair <br />association board argue the fairgrounds <br />should remain where and what they are: <br />¢onunissioners. that the fairgrounds should <br /> <br />be sold for t~ivate development and <br />returned to the tax books. <br /> <br /> A second point of dcbatc is, whether the <br />fair is retaining its agricultural nature or ha', <br />become just another carnival. The fair <br />pie say it's a major agricultural evenl while <br />commissioners say it's little more than <br />whirligigs and "games of skill" v. hich xic- <br />timze people least able lo aft~ml them. <br /> <br />ties hall; but if they ever cease to operate a <br />t)lir on the site. the land reverts to the coun- <br />ty <br /> The county owns al'alut 20 adjacent acres <br />including more than 14 acres where the tra- <br />ditional carnival rides, games, fi,~xt I~mths <br /> <br />,21loll tall. The fair ass{vciatio~ leases'the <br /> <br />sites -- N.C. 49 or the couary hmdfill -- hul County commissioners say they intend to <br />the (air people say those sites are unsuitable, sell those 20 acl~.s whether or not. <br />and they can't afford to move. [n ,lu[y. county commissioners pulled <br />The fair association owns ab~art 12 acres from their agenda a proposal to give the fair <br />on W. Cabarrus Avenue around the exposi- association the required one-year notice to <br /> <br />terminate the lease. Thc issue may be on the <br />agenda again this month. <br /> Sale of the county-owned land would <br />force the fair 1o operale on t2 acres only, <br />and even the most staunch fair suppO~era <br />say that would be difficult it not impossible <br />for the fair Io operate on such a small site. <br /> The fair association's real eslate is on the <br />tax books for more than $1 million, and the <br />county property is valued between $125,000 <br />and $150.000 an acTe. <br /> Rumors of a major retail developmenl on <br />the site persist. <br /> See Fair / page 9A <br /> <br />Fair manager digs in heels, vows he won't move <br /> <br />I;: vo,..,'..o, no, ~o Psg,~_ ........................ ~_UES_DAY, August .......... 5, 1997 so Csnts Dally-S, Sund~ <br /> <br /> <br />