“Man is always something worse or something better than an animal … And thus no animal ever invented anything so bad as drunkenness — or so good as drink.” So said G.K. Chesterton, the early 20th-century English writer known as the “Prince of Paradox.” As his highness wrote so eloquently, beer is not inherently bad. Only a liquid with no use other than destruction could be bad. Napalm, maybe? But the excessive consumption of beer may be bad. Excessive consumption at a family affair• Bad for sure. So why, then, is the Fayette County Fair planning to mingle man, animal, drink and drunkenness at the 2008 event? And children, don’t forget. Children, after all, are why the fair exists. Perhaps the chagrin of residents Stoneroad McCracken and Darrell Harper will put a stop to beer sales at the summer family hot spot. The 13-member fair board voted to sell beer at the grandstand during events such as the demolition derby and monster truck pull. The move is designed to boost profits for the fair. A “conservative” estimate is in the $10,000 to $20,000 range. McCracken and Harper are leading an effort to roll back the board’s decision and are circulating a petition to force another vote. We are not convinced the Fayette County Fair is the proper venue for beer. There are plenty of places to get a cold beer — places where children are prohibited. The fair is an opportunity for man to show children he is something better than an animal. So why introduce a facilitator of drunkenness to the festivities, no matter how appealing the sudsy libation may be?

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