It was good to see the Pottawatomie County Free Fair return last week after sitting out a year due to COVID-19.
Lincoln County held its annual fair the previous week, although it still held a fair last year as well.
Late August and early September each year are the months county fairs are held throughout Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City begins its run today.
Pottawatomie County’s was its 82nd annual Free Fair. This year’s theme was “Buckles, Boots and Blue Ribbons,” Suzanne Gilbert, who helps organize the fair each year, said.
She’s been helping for 31 years. Like the Lincoln County Fair, the Pottawatomie Fair
Like the Lincoln County Fair, the Pottawatomie Fair didn’t have a Carnival this year.
Apparently, a number of the Carnivals have folded up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gilbert told me that the county fair board lost its
Gilbert told me that the county fair board lost its Carnival last year due to COVID-19 and contacted six others that had gone under as well.
There were some other notable changes last week when I was out there. One was no Children’s Barnyard which always is a big draw.
I was told due to the need for social distancing where possible, they just couldn’t have it.
Another was not keeping beef, swine, sheep and goats on grounds beyond the day they were showing. When I was out there covering the beef show on Friday, it felt strange not to see all the other animals in their pens.
So the kids, their Ag advisors and parents brought those animals to the fair in the morning on the day they were showing and took them back home that evening.
Since about 1981 or so the fair has been held at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center in Shawnee.
Due to lack of a Carnival mainly, the fair shut down each evening at 8 p.m. and that was quite a change from previous years. Still, it appeared there was plenty to see, watch and
Still, it appeared there was plenty to see, watch and do.
My wife Pat and I went back out to the fair that evening for a little while. Probably the noticeable difference on Friday when I was there during the day was the small crowd.
Primarily that’s because there was no kids day on Friday. Fair Board Chairman Randy Gilbert told me that was due to precautions taken because of COVID-19 and at least a couple of schools going virtual.
The crowd picked up some that evening some. However, it wasn’t nearly what it has been in the past.
It was good to have a fair this year, though, and get back on track. Guess we’ll see what next year brings.
Hopefully, it can be like the years in the past.
We’ll have to wait and see.