A rhythm to activities at the fair

Fair swings into peak day today

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- At 9 a.m. Friday, the Brown County Fairgrounds were, well, quiet.

A small handful of carnival workers gathered at a picnic table to have cigarettes, coffee and argue about the war in Afghanistan. They were basically alone in that early morning vastness.

By 11:30, some fairgoers had filtered into the place, but it still remained mostly empty. There were only five people under the music tent to hear Caudro Folklorico play its flamenco music. There were a couple handfuls scattered around the midway and more at the 4-H judgings.

But come 2 p.m., things were starting to hop. The kids were there in full force, with the tweens and teens represented rather generously.

By 5 p.m., it looked like a full-blown county fair again, with all of the rides on the midway screeching and whirring, hungry fairgoers keeping the food booths busy and plenty of animals to be seen, petted, judged and ridden.

With the change in hour comes a change in crowd. Most of the younger kids came with their parents in the middle of the day and were mostly gone by 6 p.m., replaced by older teenagers and young adults.

Cathy Reynolds and her sister-in-law Bethel Boeder stood by the Prairieland Flywheelers 8-Cylinder Club display as the five young boys in between them climbed on the vintage John Deeres. The two women were urging their boys off the tractors, but weren't having much luck at it.

Reynolds, who lives in Livermore, Calif., comes to a visit her sister in Minnesota once a year. And when she does, it's always some kind of state or county fair. This year, she decided to go to the Brown County Fair with Bethel because New Ulm is where Boeder and her family live.

"I am a state fair veteran," Reynolds admits, keeping her eye on her son. "Machinery Hill is my name."

Boeder comes to the Brown County Fair every year. It's where she and her husband grew up and moved back to two years ago. Boeder said the advantages to the county fair are that it's relatively free, safe and is fun for the kids. Both women had a hard time getting their sons off the tractors and on to something else.

For most fairgoers, that something else is usually something edible. The milkshakes made by the Dairy Association were a popular item, along with corn dogs, cheese curds and, okay, brats. (It's New Ulm! Did you think they were going to take second to slices of pizza?). Keith Meyer of New Ulm was running one of the Hanska Meats stands with some friends.

"We've had a busy day. We went through mostly burgers and brat patties," he reported.

Don Kotten, Brown County Fair vice president, said the day was "average to above-average...It just looked very full." Kotten said the peak crowd is the one that comes on Saturday night for the demolition derby.

Renee Retzlaff, president of the Brown County Agriculture Society, which is chiefly in charge of the fair, said demolition derby attendance was up this year.

"The numbers are up all over as well. The weather has been absolutely perfect. If we continue to keep this weather with it in the low 80s, we'll do really well," Retzlaff said.

Numbers for the 4-H showings are on a steady rate with last year. By 2 p.m., there were 4 dairy cattle, 6 beef cattle, 8 hogs, 4 rabbits and 4 sheep representing the Brown County 4-H at the Minnesota State Fair.

"The weather's been nice," agreed Brown County Extension Educator Wayne Schoper from inside the office of the 4-H building. "We've got excellent participation this year."

The 4-H judgings ended by 6 p.m. And then another crowd began to filter in just as the previous one filtered out. By nightfall, the bright neon lights of the midway and the floodlights of the grandstand could be seen throughout the surrounding neighborhood.

As the rodeo wound up around 10 p.m., several people started heading for the parking lot, which was in a new spot this year because of the construction on the new arena. Behind them was the 135th Brown County Fair, lights, sounds, smells and all.

"I think it's part of America," said Jolene Osander from Dalton, who was working the crane booth Friday night. "People used to meet and fall in love at fairs."

The gates open today at noon and close at midnight.