March 29, 2024

Let fair board know alcohol should not be allowed

From Rev. Jim W. Morris

Creston

I’m not often moved to write a letter to the editor, but when an issue comes up which bears upon the moral and ethical integrity of the folks in our county, I must speak up. And the decision of the Union County Fair Board dealing with allowing alcohol to be served on the fairgrounds gives our youth entirely the wrong impression – that alcohol is an acceptable option for the fair is wrong-headed and one of the worst sins in our midst.

I have been a pastor in Union County for 51 years for the most part and a certified family therapist since 1973. In that time frame, I have witnessed the destructive effects of alcohol on a great many young lives. We now know folks do not have the ability to make some of life’s most important decisions until around the age of 35.

The support received when I raised this issue at the National Day of Prayer last week was heartening. Let your fair board members hear from you if you’re troubled by this possibility.

When the fair board accepted gambling money a couple of years ago, I asked one of their members, “What’s next? Will we have a move to approve drinking on the fairgrounds?”

I was assured that would never happen. So much for the good word of the fair board. Perhaps we need to ask the question again, “What’s the next sin coming to the Union County Fair?”

Our first priority is to provide a moral and ethical basis, especially for our youth. Nothing else even comes close.