From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Aug. 9, 1971:

The 1971 Douglas County Fair was reported to have been a success on most fronts. Increased revenue from the carnival was an indication that total attendance was up from the previous year, and a record number of premiums had been paid out to winners of ribbons in 4-H food and clothing exhibits. However, the number of open class livestock entries seemed to be down slightly — perhaps the result of increased urbanization, according to Glen O’Connor, fair president. The fair’s evening musical shows had proved a slight disappointment to fair organizers, with one show and its small audience having been moved to the Lawrence High School auditorium because of rain, and the other group, performing at the fairgrounds, attracting only about 300 people. “Probably people are trying to tell us they don’t want any event at the fair that we charge to get into,” O’Connor said. He added that the rodeo that had been replaced this year by the shows would probably not make a comeback, as the fair board had usually lost money on it in the past.