Fair most successful in five years

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Fair most successful in five years

After eating fried everything, people resumed their diets, and children brought their 4-H projects home. Others figured out where to display ribbons and trophies, or what to do with a 700-pound pumpkin. And fair personnel began to clean up and plan for next year.

Scott Dow, the fair manager, said the attendance of the 2012 fair exceeded each of the past five years due to what he described as “seven days of incredible fair weather.”

“It was a wonderful fair this year,” said Jerry Price from Fiske Concessions. He said that he could tell that the patrons had a “grand time.”

The country star Rodney Atkins, however, drew a smaller crowd than John Turner did last year, with only 1,829 people in attendance.

“Atkins put on an exceptional show,” Dow said. “In today’s concert environment, what Hillsdale had — interactive, coming for an encore, signing autographs — you simply don’t see that at all concerts.”

Some attractions stood out this year for patrons, according to the staff.

“Legos were a big hit this year,” said Alex Schweda, the superintendent of the 4-H still exhibits building.

Barnyard children superintendent Chad Wolff said that peafowl were the most unique animals in his exhibit. He explained that most people don’t take peafowl off of their farm because they are very expensive. He estimated that he had about 20 entries, with a wide variety of animals: kittens, rabbits, calves, goats, miniature horses, chicks, guinea pigs, and peafowl.

Now that the fair is over and all the animals and exhibits are gone, members of the fair board have their work cut out for them.

“It is a very busy five to six weeks that immediately follow the fair,” Dow said.

In the first two weeks, they clean the grounds and buildings. This includes removing manure, cleaning trash, and putting items away.

Some buildings, such as the 4-H livestock building, are used for storage so they must be completely disassembled. Wolff explained that he must take down decorations, stack the large pens in a corner, clean out the rabbit pens, and sweep everything out.

After everything is cleaned, Dow said that they begin to winterize the grounds. This means shutting off the water, blowing out the lines, and adding antifreeze to the bathroom sinks and toilets.

Even after they close the grounds, their work is not over. The fair board has already begun planning next year’s fair.

“It’s a constant planning process,” said Dow. They do their best to keep the Hillsdale County Fair “the most popular fair on earth.”                                       mbrandt@hillsdale.edu