ARENA PARK BEING READIED FOR ANNUAL SEMO DISTRICT FAIR

Tents were going up, carnival rides were being trucked in and a small village of travel trailers was beginning to form Wednesday on the grounds of the SEMO District Fair.

As Sunday's opening ceremonies approach, Arena Park is beginning to take on the appearance of the annual fair.

By this afternoon, the grounds will look like the fair is ready to open, said Pete Poe, president of the Southeast Missouri District Fair Association.

One of those preparing to set up was Harold Dietz, who has manned a cotton-candy booth in front of the merry-go-round at the fair every year since 1959.

Dietz takes his cotton-candy booth to fairs around the country. Like many other vendors moving in for fair week, Dietz and his family were concentrating on housekeeping chores Wednesday. On his "to-do" list were setting up his travel trailer, shopping for groceries and doing laundry.

Today and Friday, his work will switch to the cotton-candy booth, which must be set up, connected to an electrical outlet and stocked with supplies.

"It takes three to four days after we get here to get everything ready," Dietz said.

During the fair, he hopes to see friends and acquaintances he has made over the 41 years he has been coming to the fair in Cape Girardeau.

As Dietz and the other vendors were setting up in one area of the fairgrounds, workers in another area were busy setting up the green-and-white, red-and-white and blue-and-white striped tents that will shelter shows, exhibits and demonstrations.

In still another area, the bright pinks and blues of midway rides could be seen inside trailers being trucked in by Astro Amusements.

Although there was a slight threat of rain Wednesday afternoon, Poe didn't expect it to affect the fair's setup or the fair itself.

"When you run an outdoor event like this, you learn to live with the weather," Poe said.

Poe laughed at the rumor that it rains every year during the fair.

"Rain isn't even an issue with us," Poe said. "It just gives people something to talk about. If it does rain, we just clean up and go on."