The Hydro Free Fair, the oldest free fair in Oklahoma, is only two weeks away. The evenings of August 18, 19 and 20 will see an influx of several thousand as people head to the fair.
One person in attendance will be Janey Pease. Pease and her family have a long history with the fair, and she shared about what the fair means to her.
“I guess we owe our family to the Hydro Fair,” Pease said. “My parents met after the war at the Hydro Fair in 1946 while they were decorating for the fair. It’s always been very special.”
Since it’s such an important event for Pease and her family, Pease said she has attended every year of her life—74 times in all. In all of her time spent at the fair, Pease said the carousel is her favorite part. The carousel is a “family tradition” for Pease. She and her husband have operated the ride, and she said her kids and grandkids have followed suit.
Pease said after many years of wear, the carousel has been restored to its original glory and it will be ready for this year’s fair. “We were so excited to have found a company to restore it. It’s going to be fantastic,” she said.
“The fair is really like a family reunion,” Pease added. She said people will often run into old friends and community members, and the fair gives many people a place to reconnect.
Charlie Wieland helps organize the fair, and he said there are usually 120,000 tickets sold every year over the three evenings. “We really have no way to measure how many people come,” he said. Since it is a free fair, people come and go as they please. There is only a purchase necessary when people want to hop on a ride or buy some fair food.
Obviously, the Hydro Free Fair knows how to please a crowd. Whether community members have never experienced the fair or they have gone every year like Pease, all are welcome to head east to Hydro August 18, 19 or 20 for fun-filled nights at the fair.