One man, one notebook and thousands of goldfish: charms of the Nashville Fair

Years ago, Don Hurst had an idea.

It hit him while he was traveling the country operating carnivals and amusement games — one of which is the “Nashville Fair.” That’s underway this week at the Fairgrounds. (For over a century, the Fairgrounds Nashville was home to the Tennessee State Fair. In 2021, the state fair moved to Wilson County, not without controversy, and that event took place last month.)

Surrounded by the classic indulgences — creaking roller coasters, fluffs of cotton candy, an array of deep-fried sweets (plus some Nashville-specific fun, like live music and pig racing) — Hurst operates the “goldfish game” tent, with a distinct way of making it memorable.

The concept is simple: land a ping pong ball in one of the many small bowls of water, and you win a live goldfish.

It’s an exuberant tent — partly thanks to Hurst. When players successfully land a ball in a bowl, he’s the first to cheer, singing “fishy friend, fishy friend, yay!” Sometimes he’ll throw on a pair of pink sunglasses with one lens poked out and a ping pong ball filling the hole.

But the excitement also comes from the players. Being awarded a live animal comes with a certain thrill. Which might be why, for years, fair-goers have approached Hurst with tales of their prizes.

“People come by and say, ‘I won a fish last year, it’s still alive!’ ” Hurst says. “Somebody come by, say ‘I got over five years,’ show me a picture of the thing. So I thought I’d make a book.”

Cynthia Abrams WPLN News

Don Hurst started the book years ago as a place where fairgoers could document the lives of their prizes.

On the side of the tent sits an aged notebook — and this is the place where Hurst’s innovation struck: he thought people could write about their previous winnings.

And they have: entry after entry is a testament to the love people have for their aquatic pets.

One reads: “Our daughter that just graduated from college got a fish ten years ago, and it just died last month. Thank you!” Another: “We still have two fish we won several years ago! We love your whole thing — your song, your smiles and your healthy fish.”

Hurst says it’s also a good way to dispel naysayers who insist the fish will die immediately, as many entries attest to the long lifespans and large sizes goldfish can achieve.

“My fish Greg is five years old, about six inches, eats every other fish in the tank, happy as could be in a 20-gallon tank,” one entry states.

It’s also a demonstration of why Hurst has dedicated the bulk of his life to carnivals. While he started with North American Midway Entertainment in 1992, he’s been working in this field since he was 14, back in his native South Dakota.

Cynthia Abrams WPLN News

The Nashville Fair will be at the Fairgrounds through Sept. 14.

“I enjoy the people, I really do,” Hurst says. “The customers, man, they come back. Little kids, they’re just so excited about goldfish, they smile and jump up and down. And they come back and say ‘I remember you from last year!’ They come by, ‘fishy friend, fishy friend’ they sing the song.”

While the book now comes to Nashville every year, the rest of the time it’s traveling carnivals around the country with Hurst.

The Nashville Fair runs through Sunday at the Fairgrounds Nashville, so locals here still have a few days left to win a fish — and, maybe, one day, to make an entry.