August 4, 2014 at 3:14 p.m.
Thousands enjoy a weekend at the fair
Thousands enjoy a weekend at the fair
The weather was perfect, much to the delight of fair coordinator Nancy Gehrig, who has another successful fair under her belt.
"It was excellent, absolutely excellent. The weather was perfect - no rain or anything like that. We were really blessed with a lot of sunshine," Gehrig said. "The vendors were great. We had a wide variety of food and snacks. A lot of people said this year was the best for food, so nobody walked away hungry, that's for sure. The rides, the animals, the exhibits, everything was great. You could really tell everyone was having a great time."
The 2014 fair featured the usual mainstays - fried food, carnival games, rides, a play area for kids - that people have come to know and love. This year, like every other, that included the Oneida County 4-H Club, however there was a little twist to the club's involvement this year as it celebrated 100 years of organized 4-H in Wisconsin.
"4-H is the result of the Smith-Lever Act of 1914 and that enabled extension services throughout the United States to offer this particular program as our nation's positive youth development program," explained 4-H/Youth Development Agent Lynn Feldman. "It had been forming up to that time in a few states in a variety of ways, but it was then that it became a nationwide program for kids."
4-H offers a wide variety of activities and learning opportunities for kids, something Feldman said is just as important now as it was back in 1914.
"I have seen extreme support with people coming in over the last few days," she said. "They recognize the value of this program when they see the projects and the work these kids have done. It really is amazing to see what these kids can do and it's great that they can show off their work here at the fair."
4-H wasn't the only popular mainstay at the fair this year. The Rhinelander Lions Club continued its partnership with the fair by once again operating a food stand.
"We've been here from the beginning and we'll probably be here until the end," Lion Bill Haenel said. "It's a great place to be. We get to come out and see everyone and visit with people and just have a good time. We have a blast, everyone who comes to eat and enjoy the fair seems to have a great time."
And have a great time the people did. Whether they were riding the rides, enjoying a show, feeding some goats or just basking in the sun with a heaping helping of cheese curds, smiles could be seen all around.
"Oh, we love coming to the fair each and every year. There's so much to do. The kids love the rides, the food, seeing all the animals, they love it all," Jessica Kowalski enthused. "We've even starting coming both (weekend) days now, too. We used to just come on Saturday, but now the kids always make sure we're here Saturday and Sunday. We've even talked about starting to come on Friday now, too, so we'll see what next year brings."
Anyone and everyone can find something to enjoy at the fair, but the biggest smiles were seen on the faces of those who were enjoying the festivities as a family.
"This is our big family outing every summer. All the relatives come up and we all head out to the fair for some fried food and fun," Kelly Jackson said.
"You know, with the way the economy is and everything, budgets are tight and you can't just head out to Disneyland or something every year. But the fair, well, to us, that's just as good. The kids love it. Their grandparents love it. My husband and I love it. It's just a great time for our family."
That kind of enthusiasm is exactly what keeps Gehrig and her volunteers going.
"I've talked a lot about the weather this year, just because we've been so blessed with all this sun, but really, we're so blessed because of how many people come out to have fun and enjoy themselves," Gehrig said. "We've got people coming into Rhinelander from all over. I even met a family from California this year who was up visiting relatives and decided to come out to the fair. That's why we do this. That's why we're hard at work all year getting this thing ready - to provide people and their families a good, wholesome time."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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