A fair-ly good day

NORWALK — The heat and humidity refused to yield again Tuesday night or Wednesday at the Huron County Fair, but that didn't stop attendees from continuing to enjoy the event. Tuesday night saw the National Tractor Pull Association host the tractor pull event in the Grandstands, with Midnight Squeeze a 1975 International, driven by Eric Simmons, and Forgiven, an International 1066 driven by Kevin Banion, taking first place in their respective divisions. Wednesday was designated as Veterans Day and military vets could enter for a penny. The day was sponsored by Apex Clean Energy and featured a pony pull Contest, rodeo, inflatable bounce houses and as always, project displays and judging. Learning about voting The Huron County Board of Elections had a complete voting setup at its booth. Attendees can vote utilizing the same equipment that will be used in the November election. There are ballots for both children and adults. The goal is to educate children on the civic responsibility of voting, and also to familiarize adults with how to operate voting equipment they may not be familiar with, according to board member Deanna Cole. "This started out as a way to get the public used to the machines and process," she said. "It shows people how easy the process is and lets kids see what it's like to vote." 'See three or four generations together' The newspaper had the opportunity to talk with Randolph "Barney" Bacon, director of the Huron County Fair Board. Bacon has been with the board since 1984 and has attended the fair "his entire life." According to Bacon, the fair experience is designed for kids, but also for those who are "kids at heart" and teaches that "hard work and determination toward a goal will eventually pay off." "We put the rides and the food in to attract people to come to pay for the kids but everything revolves around the kids and what they do," he said. Bacon reminisced about his father selling farm trucks to the farmers and how the fair has changed since he was a child. In his estimation, there seem to be "slightly less kids doing animal categories" and an increase in participants in the "still categories" such as "fixing engines and crafting" — a trend he sees being shaped by "more modern interests" such as video games. One thing that hasn't changed he says is how the fair brings generations together. "I sometimes see three or four generations together in the barn and sometimes all of those grandparents and great-grandparents showed animals in that same place," Bacon said. While the future of fair events might seem in jeopardy to some, with fewer young people looking to get into agriculture, Bacon is optimistic that although events may change, the future health of the fair is strong. "Look at these animals and the kids working them, those are strong. We still have a farm culture and values out here," Bacon said. "Maybe they will have some programs at the fair about technology in the future, but that's what farming is, it's innovation." Farming evolved quickly in the 20th century due to technological advances and Bacon reminds readers that those changes have allowed farmers to feed more people using less land. "We have less farmers than we used to, but they grow so much more food," he said. "It really is amazing that they can feed so many more people with less manpower and land. It's almost a miracle." Thursday will be sponsored by Mercy Health and is dubbed Senior Citizen Day with the first 400 seniors receiving a free donut from Lerch's Donuts and MotoCross racing taking over the grandstands at 6 p.m. along with event judging and awards throughout the day.