Capital Lakefair should call it quits

It’s been an Olympia tradition for more than six decades.   The annual Capital Lakefair on the shores of Capital Lake.

Started by downtown Olympia business owners in 1959 as a way to bring people to town during the hot days of summer, the annual celebration has out-lived its usefulness.

Attracting people to downtown businesses has long since disappeared.   Many downtown business owners see Lakefair as a problem that generates nothing for them in terms of income and everything to do with the inconvenience to their regular customers.

For those many years, local non-profits have used Lakefair as a way to raise money for their good activities.   Those actions alone have been touted as a reason for the event to continue.

The biggest problem with Lakefair is the annual carnival, which draws young people to the area.   As pointed out, most of the money taken in by the carnival goes out of town and doesn’t stay in the local community.   And, hundreds of young people milling around the downtown area does little to elicit confidence in the safety and security of other local residents.

I’ve been advocating since Lakefair’s 50th birthday, that the event should call it quits.   Declare an end to this out-dated festival and let others put on the next community event.   We see the Arts Walk and the Procession of the Species as examples of new activities for the 21st Century.