August 3, 2018 at 3:48 p.m.
Oneida County Fair off to 'fantastic' start
Barnett: 'One of best fair openings ever'
Oneida County Fair off to 'fantastic' start
By 6:30 p.m., first-year fair coordinator Tom Barnett had proclaimed that the fair was off to a "fantastic" start.
"I am just overwhelmed by the number of people who have come out," Barnett said, as he took a break from greeting fairgoers and giving out high-fives to the kids.
In fact, if you attended the fair on Thursday evening, chances are you saw Barnett. If he wasn't standing in front of the fair headquarters camper he was roaming the grounds greeting people and making sure everything was running as smoothly as possible. He left the fair about 30 minutes after it closed for the night at 11 p.m.
Finding Barnett Friday morning was a bigger challenge as he hit the grounds at 6:30 a.m. After an appearance on WJFW's morning show, he was checking on vendors and exhibits, getting reports on how the first night went.
"One of the best fair openings ever," Barnett said. "Everyone has been telling me how good they did, all the vendors and food vendors. It just made me glow with pride. I'm so happy the way it turned out. And the weather helped, too."
There was a bit of a backup the first night at the two booths where people can buy tickets and wristbands, which Barnett said showed how popular the rides were this year.
"They have two ticket booths and the lines were right down the midway," he said. "I guess K&M will have to get another ticket booth if the fair keeps going the way it's going."
The weather is predicted to continue to be a wild card throughout the rest of the fair's run, which concludes at 6 p.m. Sunday.
According to the National Weather Service in Green Bay, Saturday will be windy with high in the mid-80s and the same for Sunday, with a chance of thunderstorms both afternoons and evenings.
"I was talking to Chad Roesthlisberger at WJFW and he said, 'I'm hoping for you, but there's a slight chance of rain.' A slight chance of rain?" Barnett said. "That's OK because I like to be positive, I'm looking at it as mostly chance for sun then."
"We still have lots of things to see and do," he added.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at jamie@rivernews online.com.
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