Family affair
Generations return to show animals at the Fayette County Fair
DUNBAR – Ron Allen, 70, has been coming to the Fayette County Fair for the past 65 years.
“The first memory I can remember is there was a section in the back corner that they had for kids,” Allen said. “I was back there playing. I was probably 4 or 5 years old.”
Now, 65 years later, the dairy farmer is making the annual trip to the fair with three generations of Allens.
“That’s what the fair is all about,” Allen said. “I mean, it’s part of our family’s legacy. I started showing dairy cows as a junior in high school back in ’71, and now me and my family show dairy cows.”
The Fayette County Fair officially kicked off Thursday as hundreds of vendors, participants and staff put finishing touches on the grounds. And while Thursday morning had its share of anticipated controlled chaos that often accompanies moving livestock into their temporary new digs, participants took it all in stride.
“It’s just fun,” said 10-year-old Jason Bartlet of Smithfield matter-of-factly. “It’s just a lot of fun.”
One of the first of the events is the 4-H Horse and Pony Show in the horse arena, located at the south end of the fairgrounds.
One of the head volunteers for the 4-H program, Karen Hall said her kids, ranging in age 5 to 16, have been preparing all year for their turn at showing off their horses.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” Hall said. “I mean these kids have been up here since 5 this morning getting the barns ready and getting their horses ready for show.”
Kinsley Robinson, 14, of Uniontown, said she has been coming to the fair since “forever,” and looks forward to participating in the timed horse events and spending time with friends she sees only at the fair.
“We like to talk and play with our horses,” she said.
Kinsley is one of nearly 20 youth who will be participating in the horse and pony show, one of the many agricultural shows scheduled over the 10-day event.
Laura Smith, department head of the Home Economics section of the fair, said the agriculture aspect and shared generational experience is one of the keystones of the Fayette County Fair. Smith, of Dunbar, has been coming to the fair since she was 12, and said she spent about 20 hours last week preparing and will likely work from “bell to bell” over the next week-and-a-half.
As to why she commits so much time to the fair, Smith said it’s because it’s an important part of the community.
“It’s just an investment in the community and agriculture,” Smith said. “I grew up on a farm, my grandmother was a chairperson for this building for years, it’s just part of the family tradition.”