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As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition had reached 2,922 signatures. Of those, 1,149 people logged on to to sign the petition within the last week.

“The summer months in Lebanon can be unbearably hot, with temperatures often exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) accompanied by high humidity levels,� Ferrell wrote. “These conditions pose serious risks for people of all ages, particularly children and elderly individuals who are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses.�

People from Lebanon, Murfreesboro, Nashville, and across the state have signed the petition. Some signees were even from out of state.

However, moving the fair to the fall is a more complicated undertaking than just changing the dates in the calendar.

“We evaluate every year’s fair, and we take whatever comments that we receive through email or by word of mouth from people,� Wilson County Fair-Tennessee State Fair Executive Director Helen McPeak said. “We try to make each fair better. I’ve said for years ... we evaluate; we tweak, and we try to make things better year after year.�

Venue availability are among the factors involved.

“We’ve got to consider what else the James E. Ward Agriculture Center and the Farm Bureau Expo Center have got (going on),� McPeak said. “All of that as to be considered. There are events that happen year after year that are on their schedules, just like the fair always takes place in the month of August. In order to change the fair to September or October, those things would have to change.�

Preparations for the fair take an entire month.

“It takes us that much time to get everything set up and decorated, in place and painted,� McPeak said. “I don’t think people realize what all we do.�

Another reason why it would be complicated to push the fair back is because of the carnival rides.

“Our carnival couldn’t be here,� McPeak said. “(The carnival owner) comes here from New Jersey and then goes to New Mexico, and then goes to Texas and then to Alabama and Georgia and Florida. The quality of rides that we have is that we probably would not be able to have (if the fair was moved). We had to search hard to get the carnival company we’ve got.�

August is the end of the growing season, which means that if the fair were to occur in September or October, there would likely be no fresh fruits or vegetables.

“We try to showcase our community,� McPeak said. “That’s what fairs do. They mirror their community. I would hate to lose that part of it, because that’s something that’s fun to celebrate, people bringing in their fruits and vegetables and showcasing that. I would miss that.�

Moving the fair could also create scheduling conflicts with livestock competitors.

“Our livestock competitors go from fair to fair,� McPeak said. “They’ve already got on their schedule what fair they’re gonna go to next. We would have to take that into consideration.�

Weather would also have to be researched.

“We would need for it to be dry,� McPeak said. “We’re also getting into tornado and wind (season) too. We would need to research what the weather does in September and October to be able to (push the fair back), even if we were able to work out the dates to have a month with the Ag Center and Expo Center.�

The dates for the 2024 Wilson County Fair-Tennessee State Fair have already been announced. The fair will run from August 15-24.