Get ready for fun: Washington County Agricultural Fair begins
The first full day of the 227th Washington County Agricultural Fair was a sun-soaked Saturday, where everybody seemed to feel the same: They were having fun.
“It’s always a good time,” said Heather Condeluci of Kennedy Township, who was at the fair with her husband Dante and sons Connor, 8, and Cammy, 6. “We come every year.”
The state’s oldest fair – which began in 1798 and now attracts an estimated 64,000 visitors – features something for everyone. The offerings include livestock shows, 4-H exhibits, carnival rides and traditional fair food.
Musical performances are also featured throughout the fair’s weeklong run, with acts like the Morgan Gruber Acoustic Trio and the Skyliners set to appear.
One of the highlights of the first day of the fair is the naming of the fair queen. That honor went to Charlotte Magon, 19, of Washington.
Magon is a student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is a junior member of the fair’s board of directors.
Shelby Powers of Burgettstown was named the fair princess.
Another feature of the fair’s first full day are the food contests which include junior baking, crock pot, homemade chocolate cake, angel food cake and apple pie.
Amanda Yohman of Charleroi took first place in the homemade chocolate cake contest with her delectable peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. This is the third year she entered, but the first time she captured the top spot.
Second place went to Alex Jardine of Washington with the Ultimate Gluten Free Cake.
“I’ve been gluten free for about six years,” he said. “Last year, I entered for the first time, and I didn’t place because I didn’t tell them it was gluten free. This year I made sure I told them, and I doctored it up a bit, and I think that made the difference.”
Maria Hoefler, head of the baking and cooking contests, said they grow in popularity each year.
“A lot more kids are getting involved. It’s turned into a family event,” said Hoefler, who has been involved with the contests for 23 years.
There are also a number of categories to enter.
“We’ve had sweets. We’ve had eggplant. We’ve had enchiladas. We’ve had every flavor. We’ve got a lot of different entries this year from sweet to savory, from Mexican to Italian,” she said.
Livestock is a huge part of the fair. Brynn Strnisha, 13, of Bentleyville, had her bunny, Lola, ready for show. There have already been offers to buy Lola, Strnisha said.
“I really care about the bunnies going to families who love them and care for them,” she said.
Miranda Schury of Washington had her Nigerian dwarf goats, Dolly, Dottie and Dahlia at the fair.
“I come to the fair just to show them off and give little kids a chance to pet them,” she said.
The pedal power tractor pull is another big feature on the first day of the fair. It was definitely something that Barrett Campbell, 7, and his brother Bentley, 5, of Houston were anxiously awaiting.
“We’re really excited to see what that is like,” said Jenna Campbell, their mother.
The fair runs through Aug. 16 with a packed schedule of events each day.
As for the fair’s first day, Jenna Campbell may have summed it up.
“You couldn’t ask for a better day,” she said.