The Greene County Fair’s ostrich race on September 4 was halted early amid disputes over admission fees, leading to tensions between race organizers and the fair board.
The Greene County Fair in Arkansas experienced an unexpected turn of events during its ostrich race on September 4, as the event was abruptly halted due to a dispute over admission fees.
Rider Lena Hackworth described her experience as thrilling yet challenging, saying, “It was awesome, I was nervous, I was scared, excited, but it wasn’t as easy as what you thought it was gonna be.”
Unfortunately, the excitement quickly turned to controversy when race organizers announced a $10 admission fee on the day of the event, despite previous advertisements suggesting it would be free.
Dennis Hammon, a member of the Greene County Fair Board, expressed his discontent, stating, “We had a little issue prior with a little advertisement of two months of no price admission on it.”
He argued that the sudden charge was unfair to attendees who expected a free event.
Conversely, race organizer Aaron Pugsley maintained that he had informed attendees in advance about the fee and had distributed flyers that did not explicitly state the event was free.
Tensions escalated when a speaker at the event began soliciting donations, which prompted the fair board to intervene and ultimately shut down the race.
Hammon described the situation, saying, “At intermission, we had an incident where a gentleman got up there to thank everybody and ask for donations, and then they started bashing us.”
Concerns regarding the health and safety of the ostriches were also raised, but both Pugsley and Hammon confirmed that the birds had been inspected and were in good health.
In light of the confusion and disagreements, both parties indicated that it is unlikely there will be another ostrich race at the Greene County Fair in the future, labeling the incident as a misunderstanding among the involved parties.
Your n°1 source of information on the world of sandsports and desert adventure travel. Our articles are the result of extensive research, personal experience, and knowledge-sharing within the global sandboarding community.