Don’t minimize The Fair

Re the March 31 letter Relocate The Fair: The Miami-Dade Youth Fair is not just “a fair.”

While the 18 days of the actual fair are the most obvious use of the property, it is used year-round to benefit Miami-Dade County. These 18 days provide a showcase, not available anywhere else, for young people to display their accomplishments in the arts, livestock husbandry and agriculture. Additionally, the funds raised from The Fair provide scholarships for the students.

While Florida International University is important to the community, The Fair is, too. It is a unique platform for residents from the agricultural community — the ones who provide the food for our tables — to reveal a way of life many of us don’t know exists just a few miles away.

In its zeal to expand, FIU shouldn’t minimize the role of The Fair.

This story was originally published April 7, 2015 at 8:37 PM with the headline "Don’t minimize The Fair."