Franklin County Fair For Families And Fun

This was the first year back after the 2020 fair was cancelled due to COVID, so parents and their children were eager to come out to have some fun. This year’s theme was “Cornfields To Ferris Wheels” and was held at the Union Fair Grounds. If you have been to the Town and Country Fair, this is a similar but much more scaled back event and geared for families and kids.

The rides are updated versions of those well-remembered ones from decades ago. The Ferris Wheel flanked the south end of the fairgrounds and squealed noisily as customers boarded for each new round of riders. A spinning apple ride attracted those that might tempt a little motion sickness from turning circles on the ride. There were several rides just for little kids wherein parents would have to place their child in their seats. Some couldn’t quite make it the duration of the ride without wanting to rejoin their families, but there were those who were ready for this brief touch of independence. A big slide also brought smiles to rider’s faces for the couple of bumps on the way down that could make your stomach jump.

The Fair Queen and her court were strolling around the grounds and eventually ended up on a fancy truck that rode slowly through the tractor pull area in front of all the tractor and truck fans waiting for the festivities to start. A live band, Sweet Rukus, with lead singer, Emma Wilson, was playing 80’s rock tunes for a small crowd. The teens in the band were quite talented and ranged in age from 14-17 and were all from local schools.

Finally, the first entries in the tractor and truck pull fired up their souped up tractors and blasted down the track dragging the weighted sled behind them. Some did quite well, making it all the way down the track. Some had difficulty and gave out midway, but everybody had fun watching all the entries and rooting for their favorites.

All-in-all, it was an exciting return to form after more than a year cooped up inside.