Mid-South Fairgrounds Re-development- a sentimental view

The Mid-South Fairgrounds is a site in Memphis that is packed with historical and sentimental value. However, a lot of the fun and allure of the fairgrounds has gone away, because of the shape that it is in at the present time. Several of its wonderful buildings have been abandoned and the parking lots and streets have been left unattended for years causing the area to look and feel outdated. But the fairgrounds I know were full of memories of innocent times when I was young and had my whole life in front of me. I want to propose a revitalization to this area so future generations can enjoy all the fun and history that the Mid-South Fairgrounds can give. Some of the fondest memories I can remember are of when the Fair came to town. My family and I would go to the Mid-South Fairgrounds every year just to visit, ride the fair rides, and to eat the wonderful food. My favorite fair food is the Philly cheese-steak sandwich, I would usually eat two or three of those every trip we made to the fair. My Mom had to get a famous fair corndog and she would be set for the whole year food-wise, until the next fair of course. I would spend all of my money and most of my parents playing all of the games and come away with my 2 dollar stuffed animal that I won. But the fair has moved on to another location and is no longer at the fairgrounds. All that remains in its place is an empty parking lot and some old decaying buildings. The Mid-South Fairgrounds need to be re-developed so that I can bring my own family back there again, so we can start making our own fond memories. But bringing the Fair back to town is not the only reason to re-develop the fairgrounds, it is such a historic part of our beloved city that has just gone to waste. Something should be done to revamp this whole area. So much history is being left to rot away like some unwanted garbage. For instance, the Mid-South Coliseum is one such place full of history and nostalgia. So many famous bands performed concerts there that it could be a music hall of fame in itself. Bands like The Beetles and Elvis Pressley performed on this historic stage on any given night. I remember going to wrestling matches at the Coliseum and seeing wrestlers like Hulk Hogan and Jerry " The King" Lawler battling it out in the "squared circle." Before Memphis had the Memphis Grizzlies NBA team, professional basketball was a part of the history of Memphis. The old ABA team, the Memphis Pros played professionally at the Coliseum and called it home. A couple of years during the 70s, the Coliseum held the ABA championship. And of course the Memphis State Tiger basketball team called it home for decades until the Pyramid came along. Legendary Memphis basketball players like Larry Finch and Keith Lee held the city in awe as they flashed their greatness on the basketball court. The heart of the Mid-South Fairgrounds needs to be kept in tact, I propose a complete renovation of the Coliseum. It should be brought up to code and made handicap accessible. The City of Memphis would then be able to bring back concerts to the area and boost the economy of this area of Memphis. The next thing I would propose is to create a new football stadium in this area. To make room for the stadium, they could take down Tim McCarver Stadium which is not being used and use that space plus the parking lot to put a new stadium in. Once the new stadium has been built, the old Liberty Bowl stadium can be taken down, and more parking could be put in for the Coliseum and the new stadium. I think the re-development of the Mid-South Fairgrounds should be a priority for the city government. Except for a few football games a year, the fairgrounds is wasted space. Gone are the days of concerts and the annual Fair. They have shipped out to new, updated venues. The city council has to make sure that they renovate this site to be used again in the future. If not the Fair, at least some new performing arts. I'm sure there are people in this city like me that would love some more culture in their lives and do not want to travel downtown to find it. If you would like to learn about other proposals for the Mid-South Fairgrounds, you can find it here http://midsouthfairgrounds.org/index.html