Greene County Fair kicks off
Livestock events, rides, food and fun on tap this week
Rides without passengers were swinging through the sky hours before they would be filled by excited fairgoers, the first of many hoagies were being served to hungry visitors and children from around the area were seeing the rewards of their hard work with livestock.
The Greene County Fair got underway Monday morning, as a goat show led off the first of several events to happen in the livestock barn.
Brylee Simpson, 11, of Waynesburg, has been entering animals for four years.
Her father and uncle grew up in the cattle business, and they got Brylee into it, as well as her cousins, Landon Simpson, 11, and Lincoln Simpson, 9, who live less than a mile away.
“I like showing my animals and meeting new people at the fair,” Brylee said.
She spends time with them for hours a day leading up to fair week.
To get the musculature prized by judges, Brylee ran Pinocchio on the treadmill at her home, as well as outside.
The key to picking a goat, as well as a cow, they agreed, is finding what Landon called “a refrigerator with legs” — big-bodied with a wide chest and thick skull.
Between them, they said, they’ve shown every type of animal at the fair except rabbits.
They also agreed on what else they were looking forward to during the week, from fair food to the rodeo.
“It’s just fun to hang out with friends and family,” Brylee said.
Helping fuel the excitement was the Waynesburg Eagles booth, which was already busy cooking up dishes Monday morning.
“Since we’re nonprofit and we have a lot of connections, we’re able to make it affordable for families to come to the fair,” said President Donna Arthur. “…We try to keep our prices just as low as we can. Just cover our cost and make a little bit of profit to give out in the community again.”
One of the most popular items on the menu is Secretary Chuck Wolfe’s $1.50 sweet tea, of which they will probably sell 1,000 cups during the fair week, Arthur said.
The group starts preparing months ahead of time. Volunteers would be kept busy over the next week, manning not just the food booth but the Eagles’ bingo game and two beer booths.
Arthur also likes to go check out the wood-carving displays at the fair when she has free time. Mostly, the excitement is seeing how much fun everyone else is having.
“I think it’s going to be great watching all the mascots today for the kids,” she said. “I think they’re going to enjoy that if the weather holds up. Each year it seems like it’s getting bigger and bigger. But I just like watching the people go by and the kids screaming and having fun.”
Scheduled attractions for Kids Day Monday night included Mascot Mayhem Games, where local and commercial mascots square off in a series of races and other contests, along with a concert by Soldiers and Sons, and a meet-and-greet with the Greene County Fair Queen.
Events on Tuesday include an America250 celebration and a performance by popular rodeo clown Dave “Showtime” Meyer.
For a full listing of events go to greenecountyfair.org/schedule.