This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Test time: What's a cavy? (No googling.)

Gold star to those who guessed that it is a family of 14 different South American rodent species, including guinea pigs.

The rest of you need to go to the state fair.

As it has at various times recently, the state of Utah is wrestling with the relevance of the Utah State Fair and the best use of the Utah State Fairpark on North Temple.

So here's our take: Save the fair, but move it.

The fair should go on because there are a lot of people who would miss it. Yes, there's that argument that recent generations who have grown up in cities and suburbs and have never been face to face with a sow or heifer, let alone a French lop or a cavy. At the fair, they have entire buildings full of them. More than that, the fair celebrates achievements that don't get as much attention as they used to. The state's finest green beans are recognized, as are the top embroiderers and quilters. We lose something when we stop admiring such talents.

But the fair needs a new home, preferably one it can share with other functions. For all that love and sentiment that makes it worth continuing, it no longer makes sense to tie up a prime piece of Salt Lake City's west side for the 12 days per year the fair runs. Despite various efforts, the Fairpark is ridiculously underutilized.

The opportunity to make the Fairpark blossom into something else is at hand. We're talking about 65 acres (plus overflow parking on the south side of North Temple) that is under 10 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City. In runs along a key entryway to the city with excellent access to the Airport TRAX line.

Given the neighborhood's historic and current mix, the Fairpark begs for rebirth as a multi-use, multi-ethnic transit-oriented development (TOD). In the right hands, it could become a key destination for residents and visitors who want to celebrate Utah's somewhat hidden diversity.

And the right hands are essential. This TOD is TDI (too damned important) for the state to just sell it off to the highest-bidding developer. This calls for a public vision, one that benefits a community while still relying on the private sector to take on risks for rewards.

Whatever funds the state reaps from the Fairpark, some should be reserved for carrying on the fair, perhaps even rotating it among the counties to share the spotlight. Children shouldn't get their rodent knowledge on the streets.