WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) – The Jefferson County Fair opened Tuesday for its 206th year. It’s the longest continuously operating fair in the country.
“Probably one of our easier openings that we’ve had. Some years we have a lot of loose ends but this year everything is going fantastic,” said fair president Bob Simpson.
For a lot of folks, fair season is all about the food. That means sausage, franks, and, of course, funnel cakes are all on the menu.”
“We just felt like we wanted to come and see because 50 years is a long time. Other than that I’m going to eat my funnel cakes,” said Francis Veivia, who visited the fair.
And for foodies, this year’s fair has brought in at least one newcomer – Corner Barbecue Grill
“I think it’s neat. I mean it’s a free gate. I’ve never done a free gate fair. The midway looks good. The people here are nice so we’ll see what happens,” said Bob Santorelli, owner.
Once the rides opened up, the midway filled up fast with thrill seekers and folks taking a chance on carnival games.
This year’s opening day also happened to fall on Cow Appreciation Day.
“We appreciate our cows every day,” said Dayton Shomani, who raises cows.
Celebrating their bovine buddies, some folks took part in a cow clipping contest. Others simply scrubbed their cows clean.
Shomani spent his day taking care of Addie.
“She’s a March calf. She’s my little brother’s. He’s going to show her,” he said.
One thing you may notice is the lack of a ticket booth for the rides. That’s because they’ve been replaced with automatic machines due to staffing shortages.
There are 8 of them which means the process of acquiring tickets is expected to move a lot faster this year.
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