Good luck to this year’s Weston County Fair participants, and Stetson hats off to the many sponsors, donors and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure the fair cycles on!
For many people in Weston County, the fair is a big deal, with several of the county’s oldest families documenting participation since its formation. Past participants can share the importance of the fair, and how the lessons and skills learned during their early fair days are still with them today. (Some have even dug a few of their vintage exhibits out and have them on display in the Weston County Library display case.)
Many of them still sew, knit, make preserves, cakes and belts. Some even continue to show animals and rodeo. These skills and memories last a lifetime, and the ribbons, buckles, saddles or other hardware earned from those bygone days are kept and treasured.
The 2017 Weston County Fair theme is “A Timeless Tradition,” and it is evident that the people, businesses and organizations here are passionate about keeping this tradition alive. This year it was the staff of the local FOCUS organization that announced they would be sponsoring the 2017 fair parade, truly ensuring its status as ‘a timeless tradition’ for the community.
FOCUS stepped up after learning the Chamber of Commerce decided to go in a new direction and would no longer be the sponsor. The staff shared that losing the tradition represented by the fair parade did not sit well with them, so they chose to take on organization of the event to secure a continuance of that piece of our heritage.
They also wanted to ensure this year’s Fair gets off to the start it deserves, and you can play a role in doing so as well by attending the fair parade when it takes place this Saturday at 10 a.m. Parade line up is at 9 a.m. on Elk Mountain Drive, next to the Chamber office, and the parade will run from the east side of town to the Weston County Senior Center parking lot. There will be cash prizes given, along with ribbon placements.
We recognize and thank the people, businesses and organizations who step up to keep these traditions going for future generations in our community. It is their efforts that provide the chance for entrants to showcase their skills and abilities, and test their mettle year after year.
In addition to the fair parade, there are many more fun and interesting events at the county fair from July 29-August 6. Rodeos, fun days, truck pulls, horse, dog and cat shows, ATV races and mud bogging, rabbit, swine, poultry and beef judging, goat, sheep, and wool judging, as well as flower and exhibit judging are all on tap. There will also be a trade show, “Fun on the Go” bouncy houses, an “Explore Nature” exhibit, youth BB fun range, tug-of-war, free concert, pancake breakfast, BBQ, youth livestock sale and much more. (See schedule on page 12.)
While some of this year’s entrants will earn hardware to take home from the fair, others will miss the mark by a few seconds. They’ll brush the dust off, climb back in the saddle and keep their chin up though! There will be smiles and laughter, and you may even see a few tears shed as owners say a final farewell to the animals they’ve raised at the youth livestock sale.
That’s the way it has gone for ages, and that’s exactly how it will go again this year— and it is never boring! So be sure to join your neighbors and friends, and play your own part in our timeless tradition— the Weston County Fair.