Exchange Club of Albany opens 76th annual Southwest Georgia Regional Fair
ALBANY, Ga. – The month of October is coming to an end and that means the return of a Southwest Georgia tradition as the Exchange Club of Albany and Dougherty County is getting ready for their 76th annual fair.
We got a chance to speak with Ralph Paustian Tuesday afternoon just hours before the gates open…
And… there’s excitement in the air on the fairgrounds.
“We got a few bigger rides this year. The clow was down on the very end. I don’t know that we had it here last year. We are actually booked out. We are so completely out of every space we have is full,” said Ralph Paustian, V.P. Exchange Club Fair Board.
Ralph tells us after they had up to 50,000 people out for 2023’s event, they’re hoping more will come…
“We hope to get 40 to 60,000. Also, our veterans and military are in free any day of the week, so hopefully we can give back to them for serving for our country,” said Paustian.
And… the higher the turnout, the more the Exchange Club will be giving back to the community…
As money raised from the fair will be going to local organizations.
“We are really excited. This is our largest fundraiser that we have. We do several other fundraisers, but this gives us an opportunity to give back to the community all our funds, besides what it takes to maintain the grants we give to mostly local charities like Liberty House, Open Arms, Lord’s Pantry and several others,” said Paustian.
As the Exchange Club hosts opening night, they don’t want people to hesitate.
“So, the weather’s fine. We got a beautiful breeze out here. Everybody’s ready. We got plenty of food, plenty of drinks and plenty of rides,” said Paustian.
The fairgrounds are open, and the Exchange Club is inviting everyone to come out for a little fun over the next week.
The Exchange Club Fair will run through Sunday, November 3rd.
Wednesday will be a “Car Load Special” where six passengers to a car will get full access to rides for $60.
Thursday will be a Halloween celebration with trick-or-treating and a costume contest.
The Exchange Club is implementing a clear bag policy for all guests.
Brian Roche reporting.
Copyright 2024 CBS 44 News South Georgia. All rights reserved.
