https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZnzzcgEybY
Thank you, Fox 47 News — and Darius — for shining a light. Now it’s our turn.
By The Hillsdale Conservatives
(standing with 4-H families, open-class exhibitors, and everyday Hillsdale residents)
First, a thank-you. Fox 47 News has covered what’s happening at our fair. We’d like to thank Darius for his professionalism and attention to detail — something too rare in Hillsdale County when the subject is accountability.
What’s going on
The Fair Board has a meeting Thursday, October 23 at 7:00 PM. In the past few weeks, people from our group, 4-H, open class, and unaffiliated neighbors went to the office with $10 to join the Agricultural Society — the way it’s always been done. Instead:
- We were told to fill out a new “application” for board review.
- Police were called on residents who calmly cited the law.
- Some were ordered out of the office for simply trying to pay and join.
This isn’t normal. And it isn’t lawful. It’s a tactic to decide who gets to vote before the election — a way to protect the status quo by refusing new members.
This was never about “politics”
What’s happening at the window is the symptom, not the disease.
A small circle has been steering the fair away from agriculture — away from 4-H, open class, and the heritage that made us “The Most Popular Fair on Earth.” Many noticed the empty stalls and absent vendors this year. We’ve since learned that the most successful fair manager was fired a few years ago by the same people now blocking memberships. The results are on display: less agriculture, more fences around decision-making.
They treat the fair like a festival with rides, concerts, and expensive food — entertainment without the engine. But the engine of a county fair is agriculture: farmers and families, 4-H kids learning animal husbandry, craftspeople, growers, makers — the people who show what Hillsdale can do.
Call it what it is: control
Changing the intake from “pay $10, get your card” to “apply and wait” right before the 30-day voting cutoff is a form of election manipulation. We’ve seen the same mindset elsewhere in this county — rules bent to control who participates, while those who expose it get blamed.
We were thrown out of the fair earlier this season for distributing public information to our neighbors — and to this day the Sheriff and Prosecutor have not opened a public, good-faith investigation into the county clerk’s admitted actions on the stand regarding election records. When those sworn to uphold the law don’t act, it encourages the same behavior here: move the goalposts, deny the public, and call it procedure.
Who should lead our fair?
People with agricultural roots and respect for the mission — or people chasing prestige and pretty lights? The fair was founded by statesmen, farmers, and everyday people 175 years ago. It will be restored by the same kind of people now.
What we’re doing — and what you can do
- Go to the fair office and attempt to join. Bring $10. Ask to pay dues and receive your membership card. If denied, politely ask them to put the refusal in writing and note the name of the person refusing.
- Bring neighbors and friends. Everyone who cares about agriculture and community has a stake.
- Come to the meeting: Thursday, October 23 at 7:00 PM. Bring $10 and attempt to join there as well. Your presence matters.
- Document what happens. Be courteous, record the date/time, and save any paperwork. We’re building a public record because transparency is how communities course-correct.
Our pledge
We’re not leaving, and we’re not shouting. We’re showing up — with $10 in our hands and Hillsdale’s agricultural spirit in our hearts. The fair belongs to the people who build it, fill it, and love it.
See you on October 23 at 7 PM. Bring $10. Bring a friend.
Let’s return the Hillsdale County Fair to the people who make it The Most Popular Fair on Earth.
in liberty,
The Hillsdale Conservatives
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