Fair opens its gates

James Clark had good reason to be the first person through the gates of the Permian Basin Fair & Exposition when it opened Friday.

"My mom's the president of the fair board," the Mentone resident said. "We're just coming out to see her."

Clark and his wife, Nicole, brought their 9-month old daughter, Codi, to her first fair. There was no doubt what daddy wanted to go for.

"You're looking forward to eating," Nicole Clark said.

His mother, Carla Clark, said preparations for the fair have been full speed ahead.

"The excitement starts to build right about the time (last year's fair) is over with," she said. "We start thinking about, ‘What are we going to do for the next one?' "

At the fair's opening ceremony, Odessa Mayor Larry Melton said the fair is one of the "great events in our community," giving credit for its success over 33 years to the volunteers who work on it.

"Hard as it is to imagine, the fair gets bigger and, more importantly, better each and every year," Melton said.

Along with rides, food and games, Carla Clark said visitors should take time to see livestock exhibits and shows.

"Plan to come early, stay late and plan on more than one trip," she said. "There's so much excitement you're going to want to stay here more than one day."