Rachel Bailey, Secretary Manager of the Lake County Fairgrounds, has a favorite day of Lake County’s four-day fair. Sunday is Family Day. “We have family games and each year we have more and more people join in on it and find out it’s a lot of fun,” Rachel said. The day is plump and full of fun for families to enjoy together.
This year’s event brings back the Human Tractor Pull which will have different age divisions to compete in. Other opportunities to show off your strength are the frying pan toss and the hay bale toss. For those a bit brave, perhaps joining the lawnmower race (in which the driver wears a blindfold and is navigated by a passenger in a trailer behind them) is up your alley. For those who have a big appetite, the watermelon eating contest is back. Rachel told me it’s pretty funny to watch.
Rachel has been involved with the fair since she was twelve years old, when she served on the fair’s junior board. Following in mom’s footsteps, her son joined the junior board this year. The junior fair board is a good opportunity for kids, grade 6 to age 18, to help with the planning and set up of the fair. This year they are working on a “Golden Egg Hunt,” the details of which may have been revealed since the writing of this article. The winner will receive a cash prize and free entry to the fair.
The 2022 fair brought in an estimated 3,000 residents and visitors to the fairgrounds, located in Two Harbors. As with many other things, the numbers are not the highest on record, but are seeing an upward trend since Covid. “We always hope for more,” Rachel said.
With so many activities to draw more people in, I venture to guess that those numbers will keep rebounding. Children will especially want to attend Friday, Kid’s Day, which is one of the busiest days of the weekend, according to Rachel. There is free entry for kids twelve and under and kids can win all sorts of prizes from drawings, including some scooters being rewarded in each age group. Little artists can take place in a coloring contest, and everyone can end the day by watching some wrestling and eating ice cream.
The Midwest Wrestling Association has been at the fair for several years. “They’re a great group that we have worked with, and we love having them. The crowd loves them,” Rachel said. “The kids really get into it.”
Other things kids, families, and everyone and anyone can get into include Out Mobile Escape Rooms, a ventriloquist act, the Torress Family One Ring Circus (who is doing multiple shows a day), the Renegade Riders Saddle Club Barrel Race, and all the 4-H exhibits to wander around and admire (and sometimes even pet!). There is much more to be enjoyed than I can mention here. Be sure to check out thelakecountyfair.com website for a full schedule.
“County Fairs are about communities,” Rachel said. “I think everyone should try to come out to the county fair just to have that community feeling and spend family time. We have many family friendly activities.”
This year’s event runs from August 10th through August 13th. Thursday is Senior Citizen and Veterans Appreciation Day where seniors and veterans can enter the fair for free. Other days, seniors and veterans are charged a reduced rate of $3. No admission is charged for kids 6 and under. Kids and adult tickets are $5. That is a lot of fun for an affordable price, if you ask me, and parking is free!
I’m hoping to visit the fair on Sunday. I want to watch all the family events…from a safe distance. Flying frying pans and blindfolded lawn mower drivers have me a bit too nervous to get up too close.
Consider joining the Fair Board or volunteering at the fair to help keep the tradition going. The board is made up of volunteers and can always use extra hands and new ideas. The junior board is also a great way to get children involved in volunteering. For more information, contact Rachel Bailey at 218-269-4159.
Feel free to contact me at sarahwritesnsj@yahoo.com with any news we should news about!
