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Craws for Paws
The annual party benefiting the Humane Society of Pulaskin County featured, what else...crawdads, live music and furry friends!
The Ferris wheel kept turning, but no one was riding it shortly after the final night of this year's Jefferson City Jaycees Cole County Fair opened at 5 p.m. Saturday.
There were few lines at other carnival rides, as well, as the fair's last night began under rainy conditions and a threat of strong storms.
"We've (still) got people coming out," Fair Chairman Eric Brandt told the News Tribune early in the evening. "We've got things moved into the exhibit hall; we moved the beer garden inside."
By around 8:30 p.m., though, conditions had worsened, and the Jaycees canceled the scheduled performances - Head East Official and Murphy's Ford - due to nearby lightning.
The day wasn't a total wash, though.
Jeremy and Jennifer Willis came to the fair in spite of the rain, "because we have a 4 year old who wants to come out here," Jeremy said.
Jennifer added: "And to see the Figure 8 Scramble."
Several dozen vehicles came to the fair for that event, which had to be cut short because of the weather.
The Figure 8 Scramble involves specially prepared vehicles (including having a mandatory, working fire extinguisher).
And mud.
That's what attracted Cody Hubbard.
"It's different from anything I've seen, that I've been to lately," he said. "I've seen some videos.
"(I'm looking forward) to it - especially the muddy conditions."
The rain didn't affect the 4-H dog show, though, which was held under the cattle barn roof.
"We had more attendance this year than last year, for sure," said Jennifer Winkelman, the show's superintendent. "This is our first time having it at the Cole County Fairgrounds.
"We've always had it at MidMo Dog Training Center (in Tebbetts) in the past - so I think that (move) may have gotten more people interested in it."
Four dogs competed Saturday in several different skills areas.
While many people think of farm animals as county fair events, Winkelman said dogs also are important for youth to learn with.
"The fairs are kind of farm based," she explained. "Dogs are an essential part of farms.
"A lot of dogs work on the farms, and it's important to train dogs."
And that's a program that goes on all year, she said, with project meetings each month at MidMo Dog Training Center for youth who are 5-18 years old - whether they're 4-H members or not.
Sitting at a table under a pavilion roof, Tina Brondel said she came to the fair because, on Friday, her three grandsons "wrangled me into taking them to the fair tonight. Rain or shine. 'We want to spend time with grandma and grandpa,' they said."
Brondel is a paraplegic, confined to a wheelchair after breaking her back in a four-wheeler accident 31 years ago.
That hasn't stopped her from being active, she said, but inclement weather makes it harder to get around the fairgrounds.
"I have trouble with the chat and the gravel. You sink into the mud and you just can't get any traction with the wheelchair," she explained. "On the concrete, I have no problems."
Brondel is a former Jaycee who once worked at the fair "quite a bit," selling tickets and working in the fair office.
"I did it for 10 years," she said. "I love the people here.
"They are wonderful people, and they do a lot for the community."
Hers wasn't the only wheelchair moving across the fairgrounds, even in the rain.
Saturday's rain was the heaviest of the fair's week-long run.
"On Monday and Tuesday, we had a little bit of rain that dampened the crowd a little bit," Brandt noted. "But the rest of the week has been good."
This year's fair also returned warm-up acts to the concert stage.
With the theme "Goin' Old School," Brandt said, "It gives them something to listen to while the kids are riding the rides and the events in the arena.
"We've (had) some local bands, and they've got their crowds that follow them - and that brought in some more people. So, it's a good idea; hopefully, we'll do it again next year."