(a) To become a county fair association, 25 or more qualified electors representing the majority of the townships of the county shall have been incorporated as a nonprofit corporation with a paid-up capital of not less than $5,000, and have received recognition as the official county fair association of such county from the board of county commissioners of such county. The board of county commissioners shall not give official recognition to any fair association until the fair association has submitted satisfactory evidence that it owns land or buildings of an appraised value of at least $5,000 or has paid-up stock subscriptions in its treasury to this amount appropriated to the purchase of land or buildings or both.

(b) Fair associations located in counties: (1) Which have a population of more than 5,000 and less than 6,000 and an assessed tangible valuation of less than $40,000,000; or (2) where there are facilities for the holding of fairs which are available to a fair association and the value of such facilities is in excess of $75,000, may qualify without having lands or buildings of an appraised value of at least $5,000 or without paid-up stock subscriptions in its treasury in the amount of $5,000 appropriated to the purchase of lands or buildings or both.

(c) Any incorporated or unincorporated fair association operating under previous laws may avail itself of the provisions of Kan. Stat. Ann. §§ 2-125 to 2-145a, inclusive, and amendments thereto, without changing its charter, articles of incorporation, name, constitution, organization or methods of operation, except as provided in Kan. Stat. Ann. § 2-137, and amendments thereto. The board of county commissioners shall not recognize more than one fair association in each county, except where such recognition has already been accorded.