Today is the last day of events and another Lawrence County Fair is in the history books.
As one of the largest gatherings of crowds in the county each year, the event is big business and many work hard to see it a success every year.
Fair Board Chairman Randy Lambert has overseen the event for the past few years, working year-round on its planning. It hasn’t been an easy task, with the COVID-19 pandemic complicating matters, even leading to a cancellation in 2020.
Board member Chris Collier was responsible for mid-ride attractions, vendor bookings and things like the Monkey Man show and Dino-ROAR, which entertained attendees this year.
As an extension educator for the county’s 4-H and FFA programs, Rachael Fraley coordinates animal programs, not only in fair competitions, but in the months leading up to the big event.
The volunteers and 4-H and FFA members of the Junior Fair Board of Directors also deserve kudos for their leadership and organization of the competition.
These programs not only teach farming and farming skills, but go to great lengths to instill civic-mindedness and other values in their members.
We’ve seen quite a few former 4-Hers, now out of the program, who have come back and helped out with events – one of them being Montana Runnels, who now sits on the Senior Fair Board of Directors and helped take a group from PALS, a southern points-based care agency that helps adults with disabilities, on a halfway tour.
It is also a testament to the event that so many multigenerational Fair Trade families continue to attend, with parents and grandparents coming, not just to cheer on their own family, but to support all of the young people involved.
And this year’s fair also got a boost from Lawrence County commissioners, who voted earlier to use COVID-19 relief funds to pay off the loan on the fair’s barn, helping to make the financially more stable event.
From police working security to volunteers at the gate to those helping with stalled cars after the rains made the ground muddy, there are so many who have taken the time to give the county a successful fair.
We see the best of the county on display every year at the fair and salute everyone who has contributed.
— And, as has been the case for the past few years, a special thank you to Kayla Niece, the fair’s official photographer, for all her much-appreciated assistance in The Tribune’s coverage of the event and for helping us make it an in-depth report. .
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