PI County Fair marks achieves high marks in 2007

by Amanda Polaski, Staff Writer–

The Presque Isle County Fair at the Millersburg Fairgrounds came and went with much success this year ? attracting a record-breaking number through the gates, and offering wholesome family fun for five straight days last week.

?WE HAD close to 3,000 people come through the gate,? said Rita Tollini, one of the fair?s directors. ?Last year we had 2,000 ? so that is quite a jump.? Tollini said she credits the events and activities to the success of the fair, stating there was something for everyone who participated. ?We covered from small kids all the way to senior citizens,? said Tollini. ?We had events for all different age groups. This year we did men?s day, ladies? day, and kids? day ? offering something geared toward those groups. We had a lot of demonstrations that brought a lot of people out to the fair, and this year we had the Kiwanis Club and their fish fry, as well as the Hammond Bay Anglers Association giving demonstrations ? those brought out people, too.?

Tollini said the fair, which offers free amusement rides throughout the celebration, already has Schmidt Amusements booked for next year.

?Schmidt is coming back next year, and he?s bringing all new rides,? said Tollini. ?He said he was real anxious to get back ? he really enjoys this event.?

THIS YEAR?S tractor and horse shows also had high attendance, and Tollini said the animal barn just about doubled this year compared to last. ?We had a ton of animal classes for people to enjoy,? said Tollini. ?New this year, we had Wilkinson?s Dairy Farm from Millersburg giving dairy presentations, and the Dairy Association gave out samples ? it was very interesting and people enjoyed it.? Of course, it wouldn?t be a Presque Isle County Fair without its mascot, Paco the Donkey. Paco was present this year to help celebrate. He is owned by Lock, Stock, and Barrel

Ranch ? Scott and Theresa Splan. Perhaps one of the biggest attractions of the fair is the annual mud bog, which this year was affiliated with the Concerned Racers Club.

?The Concerned Racers Club inspects races around the state ? we passed the inspection and they brought in a lot more vehicles for our mud bog,? said Tollini. ?We had 59 entries in six different classes this year. We have two more mud bogs scheduled ? one with the Concerned Racers Club and one without.? The regular mud bog is scheduled for July 8 at 5 p.m. The Concerned Racers Club will be back September 22, with the mud bog beginning at 3 p.m.

?The mud bog brought some loud and powerful stuff,? said Tollini. ?The crowd loved it.?