Leslie Allen prepares the new shelving in the Moose Lodge in preparation for the Tioga County fair taking place this week. (Photo by Jacob Elsbree)
A year of work, planning and preparation have come together for this week’s Tioga County Fair, Aug. 6-11, which plans to be bigger and better than last year’s fair by offering more for less.
President of Tioga County Fair Board Jonathan Marks said that planning for the fair starts as soon as the previous fair ends. With last year’s fair disappointing many, including the board, Marks and the rest of the board were in it for redemption — and fun, as always.
The visible preparation for the fair happens all year long, as the cattle barn, horse track and grounds are always receiving attention. Tioga Downs has even lent their expertise to preparing the horse track for a successful week of racing.
Physical preparation has been happening for about two months. The 4-H participants have been setting up for their copious displays that happen throughout the week. Participants of 4-H have skin in the game was well; in order to qualify for state showings, they must go through the county fair level.
With fresh dirt on Tuesday, the horse track has been prepared for the fair festivities taking place next week. (Photo by Jacob Elsbree)
Of course, setting up for the fair is a group effort. Marks said the 15 board members work with many different people in each of their departments to make things run smoothly. As well as with the help from Cornell Cooperative Extension, preparing for the fair takes many minds and many hands.
This year, the fair board made sure to lock down their carnival to avoid the problems they encountered last year, where the hired carnival was not able to get their safety inspection on time. Instead, the board has hired the top carnival in the industry that previously put on shows at the Apalachin Fireman’s Field Days and the Broome County Fair.
To make the fair more enjoyable and accessible for all is a $10 all-inclusive price this year — covering parking, rides and grandstand tickets. Marks said this is the lowest ticket price in the fair’s history, and remarked that it is substantially lower than surrounding fairs. Note that there is no gate fee on Monday as there will be no rides. On Tuesday, rides open at 5 p.m., and then at 2 p.m. each day for the remainder of the fair.
In order to afford the lower entry fee, Marks and the rest of the team is anticipating a large number of fairgoers to support the weeklong event.
To view a full schedule of events planned, visit www.tiogacofair.com.
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