echo press | Wednesday, August 31, 2022
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FAIR SOUVENIR
The 2022 Douglas County Fair drew tens of thousands of people during its run Aug. 17-21. A preliminary estimate indicates that fair attendance topped 50,000, the secondhighest attendance in recent years
Lowell Anderson / Alexandria Echo Press
Hunter Peterson enjoys the Merry-go-round ride on Friday, Aug. 19, at the Douglas County Fair in Alexandria.
A FAIR FOR ALL OF US For four days, the Douglas County Fair brought the community together Karen Tolkkinen Alexandria Echo Press
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n estimated 50,400 people streamed through the gates of the Douglas County Fair this year, the second highest attendance record in at least a decade despite a smattering of soggy weather. The four-day fair ran Wednesday through Saturday, Aug. 17-20 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Alexandria. It showcased the finest arts and crafts of adults and 4-H kids, the bestlooking vegetables, jams, and pies, the fattest and healthiest-looking livestock in the county. It brought together people from Millerville and Kensington, Osakis and Evansville, and beyond. If you’ve lived in the area for any length of time, you couldn’t help but bump into a neighbor or a coworker. In the Game and Fish building, wildlife educator Buck Hamlett of Ottertail encouraged visitors to interact with his snakes. The former zookeeper described his ball python as feeling like a “very soft, warm basketball,” and laid it carefully around the necks of those curious to know what it felt like. Do they have names? someone asked. “No,” he said. “Snakes are deaf. They couldn’t hear you call them.” His T-shirt said, “My kids have scales.” An artist scheduled to do free face paintings had to cancel due to illness, but faces still got painted. Vendor Bridget Macias of Eden Valley carefully drew whiskers and pink ears on Leighton Matson, 8, of Alexandria. Macias said she paints faces to honor her late daughter, who had also been a face painter. Wednesday saw the circus come to the fair. Los Moralitos Circus doesn’t have clowns or animals, but the fourthgeneration family of circus performers did stunts and tricks. They zoomed a motorcycle inside a round cage, teetered atop mesh cylinders, and dangled from scarves in the air. This was also the day that a group of seniors was honored for the many ways they help the community. And farm families whose farms turned 100 years old were also recognized. On Thursday, children crowded around the Hubbard Radio Stage, anxious to win one of 24 bicycles being given away that afternoon. A couple of winners told the announcers that they were planning to
give their win to a sibling or cousin, and their generosity drew applause from the crowd. There were many more children than there were bikes, and those who didn’t win turned around after the last name was called and streamed back into the fairgrounds, knowing what everybody learns eventually: You win some, you lose some. Thursday saw intermittent rain showers. Umbrellas came out, but fairgoers still went on rides. For a time, the Giant Slide was closed while workers squeegeed the water from it, but it dried out by late afternoon, in time for kids to zip down the lanes on burlap sacks. Still, the day was too wet for the Los Moralitos Circus, which ended up canceling its Thursday shows to protect the safety of its performers. Near the grandstand, two U.S. marines chatted with fairgoers at their booth. Their black T-shirts said, “Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body.” A woman walking into the fair wore a red T-shirt that said, “Behind every good woman are a lot of chickens.” “Here For the Beer,” said another tee. Friday started what Fair Board Member Molly Maudal said she hopes is a new tradition — marinated steak on a stick, served by the Glacial Ridge Cattlemen’s Association. Saturday afternoon grew sunny and hot. Fairgoers fanned themselves and sought out shade, bought lemonade and root beer and squinted in the bright sunshine. Chops sizzled and smoke rose from the grill at the Douglas County Pork Producers stand, where a line of customers waited patiently for their meals. The vendors brought 900 chops and 400 patties. On the Knute Nelson Heritage Stage, the first Talent Show performer was Mariah Lichty of Garfield. She performed a poem she had written called, “To Anyone Who Doesn’t Think They’re Beautiful.” “Stars never shine so brightly as when they’re dying, and I would ride through space to save you, but still you think I’m lying,” she said, her smartphone steady in her tattooed hand. For his talent, Phoenix Swor of Alexandria skipped rope and did pull-ups to “Eye of the Tiger,” and Lilianna Rindal of Lilydale, Minnesota, sang Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.” Inflation might have caused some vendors to hike their prices. But plenty of freebies were to be had throughout the fairgrounds. You could grab free Air Force hand towels, water, and drink koozies
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while they lasted, as well as stickers and fans. In the grandstand, Clueless the Clown deftly twisted balloons into all sorts of shapes – Viking hats, guitars, elephants – at no charge to families. 2. Families didn’t have to pay for the turtle races or the tractor pedal pulls, there was no admission cost for the concerts, and seniors were even able to pick up free phones designed for those with hearing or vision impairments, as well as take part 3. in free exercise and balance sessions from Knute Nelson. It seemed like every six feet, there was something new to see or do. Children rode ponies and milked a fake cow. 4-H kids answered judges’ questions about horses and rabbits, and groomed their dairy cows until their coats shone in the sunlight. Young dancers and actors performed on the Hubbard Radio Stage. Political parties brought in their candidates to mingle with fairgoers. And the rides — no fair is complete without the carnival rides. Boys who could barely contain their anticipation as the pirate ship began to swing back and forth. Girls laughing as the Spider whipped them through the air. Kids with unlimited ride wristbands hustling through the Monkey Maze again and again. The Fire Ball dangling riders upside down for long, terrifying seconds. “There are such a variety of activities that there’s hopefully something for everyone,” said Maudal. After it was all over and she’d had time to think back on it, she said she was especially pleased with all the activities lined up for seniors on Senior Day and for children on Kid’s Day. There were some glitches that the Fair Board will work on, but many more amazing moments that brought the community together. “The fair was a huge success,” Maudal said. t
Alexandria Echo Press staff photos
1. A sheep checks out passersby at the Douglas County Fair on Friday, Aug. 19. 2. Phoenix Swor of Alexandria skips rope to “Eye of the Tiger" during the Talent Show on Saturday, Aug. 20. 3. Kellen O'Brien, 11, of Alexandria, wears a ball python at the Douglas County Fair. His sister Kaitlyn, 10, had already worn the snake, guided by snake owner Buck Hamlett of Ottertail. They could not convince their dad, Dave, to touch the python, which Hamlett said feels like a "very soft, warm basketball."
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