This year’s annual Pottawatomie County Free Fair has come and gone and some of those exhibiting animals and participating with their exhibits are headed to the Oklahoma State Fair.
Something I don’t think I’ve done much of, if ever, was viewing the rabbits. I visited a bit with Morgan Shortt, Shawnee, and Tory Brinton, Tecumseh, about their rabbits they had entered in this year’s fair. Tory told me, “We brought 16 of the 60 rabbits we have.”
“Sam,” who she said is a Flemish Giant, won champion junior female. “She’s the baby,” Tory said, adding, “she won the top award.”
Tory and Morgan said this is the third time they’ve brought their rabbits to the fair. “I love how everyone is so social and all the events going on,” Tory noted.
When I went out late Friday morning, there weren’t just a whole lot of people around. Some kids were getting their beef entries ready for judging, but the normal crowds seemed to be down.
Part of that I realize can be attributed to the impact that COVID-19 has had on not just the Pottawatomie County Free Fair but county fairs all over.
The fair had to be canceled in 2020 due to the virus and there has was no children’s barnyard this year or last year. Friday used to be when students were bussed out to the fair, but it wasn’t a year ago nor this year.
This was the 83rd year for the Pottawatomie County Free Fair.
I thought it was neat there were some new events, like the Big Bass contest, the Cornhole tournament and there were several food trucks this year that provided a variety of food offerings, among them tacos, snow cones, kettle corn, corn dogs and sweet treats.
Pat and I went back out early Friday evening until after the fair closed. We enjoyed the Karokee singing, the food trucks, walking around a bit. But still, even then, the crowd seemed down quite a bit, though there were plenty of events for people to enjoy.
A couple of different fair board members did comment that concerns over the bird flu kept poultry entries down some as did the swine flu.
They mentioned the crowds seemed to pick up a little on Saturday and Saturday evening.
One thing fairgoers could be grateful for this year was the weather. While a bit warm for some, at least it wasn’t raining as it has in some previous years.