Marshall County Fair Returns This Weekend After COVID-19 Hiatus
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The Marshall County Fair returns this weekend, and while it may have been a tumultuous 2020, the fair's organizers hope they can be a familiar sight for their found family.
President Beth Bertram said the county fair was still recouping from last year's canceled event, and that some things would be coming in somewhat smaller than last year. However, she was happy to say that the fair is returning, and providing a sense of stability for a community emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's a good opportunity for people to see animals they normally wouldn't see, but it's more of just a larger community event," Bertram said. "It's kind of a big community event where people come see each other, old friends checking in on each other.
"After last year, I think there are a lot of people excited to have some place to go and do, and we have people who plan their vacations to come to the fair, see family and friends. That's basically what we're all about," she added. "… The people who come here, most of them, have some connection to come here. ... It's in your blood. I've been coming since 1973, and been here every year since then, and most people have."
The festivities begin Sunday with a preview day and run through July 24. Along with a carnival, livestock showings and farmers markets throughout the week, the queens pageant will be held at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Rafter Z Rodeo will run Tuesday and Wednesday, tractor and truck pulls will run Thursday and Friday, and country music artist Travis Denning performs Saturday.
Additionally, the fair provides an opportunity for 4-H kids to present their animals, earning scholarships from the sales they make. A junior fair was held last year for the kids to market their animals, which was limited to the presenters and their families, but which was successful on its own.
"It was a different atmosphere; some people liked it better because it was quieter, calmer, and we didn't have outside people, just fair people," Bertram said.
Bertram added that the fair works closely with the Marshall County Health Department, who she said have been "phenomenal" in working to ensure the fair goes off without a hitch in whatever capacity it operates.
John Marshall High School student Trixie Calissie was asked by fair board member Lisa Ingram to bring her skills to bear at the county fair, serving as the fair's STEM Ambassador. All week long, Calissie will be hanging out in the 4-H building, holding activities with kids of all ages.
These activities include making slime, lava lamps in a water bottle, color-changing bracelets, binary beads, lockets, and more.
"I have been very involved in 4-H my whole life; it's always been a part of who I am," Calissie said. "I know Lisa pretty well, and when she needed somebody she knew she could count on to be there and get into activities with the kids, she thought of me. I'm really, super excited to be hired on this year with her."
For more information, visit facebook.com/MarshallCountyFair.