Portable bleachers at the Moultrie-Douglas County Fair in Arthur, Illinois
Portable bleachers are a great solution for one of the most popular events held every year across America - county fairs.
Because there are such of variety of events held at different locations on a fairgrounds, at different times, these transportable aluminum bleachers can be very handy.
Just ask the folks who run the Moultrie-Douglas County Fair and Agricultural Exposition in Arthur, Illinois. This year their event was held from July 8-14.
The fair board purchased two 10-row, 24-foot long Portable Bleachers from the Park and Facilities Catalog.
According to spokesperson Sandy Hoke, the bleachers were used for a number of events: pageants, church services and to watch performers on the stage.
"We loved them. Everybody loved them," she said. "We're actually thinking about ordering more."
"We were glad to be able to provide this type of spectator seating for the fair to meet their unique needs," said David Kennis, a senior account executive with the Park and Facilities Catalog who worked on the project.
As you can imagine, there's quite a bit of activity taking place at a county fair.
There are rides, food vendors, arts and crafts booths, entertainers, bands, pageants, and much more.
Plus the original reason for most county fairs - agricultural activities - with livestock shows and competitions.
That's a wide assortment of events.
Sandy explained that the country fair board does not actually own the grounds. So the board needed to store the portable bleachers in a building and then have the ability to bring them out when needed.
Portable bleachers in position at fairgrounds
Portable bleachers offer versatility and easy storage
Mobile or portable bleachers can easily be towed to multiple locations using a tow kit. The kit includes a wheel and tongue assembly plus a lifting jack. These aluminum bleachers are also built with extra bracing in the frame to withstand any movement from towing.
But once in place, our portable bleachers look and operate just like any other aluminum bleachers. That's a real plus for any busy fairground. (Plus, after an event, they can also be transported to storage areas during the off-season.)
Because there's one factor that makes a county fair different than most functions - there's a tremendous variety of events taking place during that week from little miss pageants to teen pageants to country music performers to livestock auctions. And a whole lot more.
By the way, 21 local Moultrie-Douglas Fair Queen winners have gone on to place in the Top 15 at the Miss Illinois County-Fair Queen competition. One teen made it to the top three and in 1976, Merci Izquierdo won the coveted state title.
In essence, there's something for everyone. That's why thousands of people from these two counties in East Central Illinois regularly attend these fairs and why they still remain popular today.
In fact, the Moultrie-Double County Fair just celebrated its 82nd year (the event was canceled during the Depression and World War II).
This is one BIG event that attracts BIG acts. The fairgrounds have seen performances from some of the top country stars in the US - Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Skeeter Davis, George Jones, Tammy Wynette and Conway Twitty, just to name a few.
That caliber of entertainment is certainly a sure thing to bring out thousands of visitors, along with all the other activities.
And that's why its smart to use portable bleachers with the versatility to be moved to accommodate those spectators.
Note: portable bleachers can generally be towed by standard maintenance vehicles. However, the speed should not exceed 5 mph and these bleachers cannot be towed on public roads.