Shared Solano County fairgrounds is worth exploring

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Shared fairgrounds is worth exploring
Article Launched:12/10/2006 07:37:21 AM PST

The idea of moving the Dixon May Fair grounds next to the proposed Dixon Downs racetrack has been floated before. When it was suggested again 10 days ago, it came with another intriguing trial balloon attached: Make any new fairgrounds a joint-use facility, to be shared with the Solano County Fair.

To be sure, the idea will face naysayers right off the bat.

To begin with, the fate of the racetrack is anything but certain. It has earned the blessing of the Dixon City Council and, now, the backing of the Dixon May Fair board. But the citizens of Dixon are still expected to weigh in on it via a referendum, petitions for which are still being circulated. And two neighbors - the city of Davis and the Campbell Soup Co. - are asking courts to halt the plan.

Then there is the monumental task of persuading two entrenched fiefdoms - the Dixon May Fair and the Solano County Fair - to work together.

Still, the ideas have merit, separately and together.

Both of the fairs are currently located in less-than-ideal spots. Dixon's increasingly popular fair lacks parking space to accommodate the thousands of people who descend when big-name entertainment is on the bill. Without a way to handle the crow"