TN state fair's closing brings regret of Nashville leaders

By Michael Cass • THE TENNESSEAN • November 18, 2009 Metro Council members expressed a mixture of regret and understanding Tuesday over Mayor Karl Dean's decision to shut down the century-old Tennessee State Fair and the equally historic racetrack at the city-owned fairgrounds. The council committee that keeps an eye on the fairgrounds heard a presentation from the facility's management a day after Dean gave other tenants, like the flea market and Christmas Village, an additional six months to find new locations. The mayor wants to redevelop the fairgrounds after concluding that the fair and racetrack are no longer financially viable, but he said the other long-standing events should have until the end of 2010 to relocate. Dean had originally said the city would take control of the fairgrounds on June 30. "It's a sad day for our city," Councilman Sam Coleman said, adding that the city shouldn't "be so coldblooded in our moves." Councilman Rip Ryman, the committee's chairman and a longtime fairgoer, said he was sorry to see the fair leave after 100 years