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Friends! We need your help! Please come to Wednesday’s Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting at Rochester City Hall at 7PM and advocate for the Granite State Fair! Why is the Fair on the agenda? The City of Rochester has denied the Fair’s event permit to hold its popular seasonal Twisted Metal demolition events known as Snowman Slam, Winter Wipeout, Car Soccer, and Twisted Metal Summer Showdown. The Fair hosted these events in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Since 2022, the City of Rochester has repeatedly denied event permits at the Rochester Fairgrounds. Because of the City of Rochester’s denials, you have again not seen Winter Wipeout or Snowman Slam this year. The City of Rochester’s reason is that Twisted Metal is not a “grandfathered” activity under the property’s current zoning as “Office Commercial.” The City of Rochester considers only the annual fair to be an allowable grandfathered event. Being unable to host events outside of the annual fair is a big financial hit. When the fair was founded in 1874, our mission was, and continues to be, to “improve and stimulate agricultural and mechanical skill.” Over our 150-year history, the Fair has always sought out the latest and greatest in agricultural and mechanical skill to present at the fairgrounds year-round. The fairgrounds have hosted flight demonstrations by the Wright Brothers, showcased the first electric car, and was the place of the 1969 world-record Sulky Race, among many other feats. Up until recently, the fairgrounds hosted concerts, road races, easter egg drops, fireworks, parades, and so much more for Rochester residents. It is the Fair’s greatest wish to return to hosting events again for the Rochester community. This is what Wednesday’s ZBA meeting is about. Show up! Help us restore events at the Fair. We can’t survive without them! (fb)