LAKE COUNTY — The 127th annual Lake County fair wrapped up Sunday night with local band performances and a Tuff Truck show in the arena. In the animal barns, 4-Hers said goodbye to their auctioned-off animals. After the Saturday auction, patrons at Lakeport restaurant Molly Brennans showed their enthusiasm for the event. “We just came from the auction, now we”ll see what”s on your menu. Maybe something from the fair?”
Entries to various exhibits such as quilts, home-baked breads and flower arrangements were up 19 percent from 2006, with a total of 4,414 items entered, said Lake County Fair CEO Richard Persons.
Andi Smith, 63, a third-generation Lake County resident from Cobb, said she has in the past entered flower arrangements in the fair, and has won prizes at the Lake County Fair since she was seven years old, but the heat kept her out of the garden this summer. “I can barely make it around the fair this time, it”s so hot! But I”m just in here trying to keep cool and looking at the garden displays,” said Smith on Thursday.
Many local restaurants and grocers turned out to support the auction by local youth involved in 4-H and FFA. Persons says he estimates auction profits to be at least even with 2006. “We”re still crunching numbers, but it appears the fair was up slightly in gate revenues, and about even in other areas,” said Persons.
Early estimates indicate 37,000 attended the Lake County Fair in 2007, average for the Labor Day weekend event.
The junior livestock auction remained a popular event for fair-goers, with a slight increase in numbers of animals entered by 4-H and FFA members. Events in the barns included educational displays in beef and dairy cattle, and a “Passport to Fun” theme with faux passports depicting the places 4-Hers would like to travel, as well as educational displays with short essays about farming statistics in foreign countries.
“The kids have so much fun at the fair,” said Nicole Gentry, director of the local 4-H. One 4-H participant said her favorite part of the fair, along with showing her animals, is the chance to spend time with friends, show off all her hard work, and wearing her cowboy boots for four days in a row.
According to Persons, heat kept many fair-goers away until the evening. Temperatures were high, with many seeking shade and water misters that were helpfully placed throughout the grounds. The mercury topped the century mark the first three days of the fair, resulting in skyrocketing ice cream sales and slower hot food sales, according to Persons.
Overall, fair revenue is slightly up for the year, but so were ticket prices, with a $1 increase across the board except for senior day, which remained at $4. According to Persons, over the past five years, school has been starting earlier and earlier, with school children less likely to go to the fair on opening night when they have school the next day on Friday morning.
Contacted Elizabeth Wilson at ewilson@record-bee.com. To comment on this story or any others, look at the end of this story for “Comments,” fill in the web form, and the click “Publish”
