Old fashioned fun highlights county fair

Jaycee Solosabal has raised pigs for the past 10 years as part of her participation in the local 4-H program. The 18 year old Glenns Ferry resident said 4-H is a family tradition that includes her grandfather and her mother. Like others in 4-H, the teen said the 4-H organization helped prepare her for any career path she wants. In her case, she plans to become a police officer.

by Tim Bondy

Mountain Home News

The Elmore County Fair ended on Saturday after a week of old fashioned fair activities, 4-H and Optimist competitions and the popular agricultural arts and crafts competition held in the exhibition hall.

A competitor goes airborne during Friday's ICA rodeo at the rodeo arena. (Right) A county fair favorite, according to some fairgoers, was "Balloon Guy Allen." The balloon animal creator was inside the exhibit building creating some of his magic and putting a smile on the kids faces. Six-year-old Erza Allstop said he hoped the balloons didn't pop before he got them home.

This year's fair activities were dominated by 4-H and Optimist activities ranging from the showing of horses, beef and swine to alpacas and chinchillas.

Officials said weather was a challenge during fair week, especially last Wednesday as thunderstorms and gusty winds caused some problems, including a vendor's canopy that blew down.

Walking into the fair's midway from the grass-covered parking lot, fairgoers were presented with six different places to eat. The owner of the "Wild Wok," an Asian-style food booth, said business was picking up in the last hour or so but they were hoping for more customers to round out the day.

Taylor McKean and "Faith", a two year old heifer were big winners at the Elmore County Fair 4-H judging. They won overall grand champion supreme dairy cow and first place in quality.

In past years, the midway featured many more vendors and booths than were present at this year's fair.

Without a main attraction like a the carnival rides and accompanying midway booths and games this year, fairgoers made due with what was offered.

"We are traveling across the countrwy, saw the sign for the fair and stopped in," said Tina Cohen, a tourist from southern Iowa.

Fair board chairman Larry 'Slick' Jewett sits ready to get dunked by Gus Winings of Mountain Home. It took only two throws before Jewett made the big splash into the tank. All money raised at the dunking booth fundraiser will go toward refurbishing restroom facilities at the fairgrounds.

"The exhibition hall quilts and the animals were our favorite... we're from the home of the county fair, so is like being home," Cohen added.

On Saturday afternoon, there were only three vendors set up on the midway, including a variety store, a cell phone accessory booth and Idaho Bladerunners, a pocketknife and survival gear concession.

Rena Kerfoot, the fair manager indicated that some vendors never showed up after paying their deposit, and the Elmore County Fair was also competing for vendors with Canyon County, which also held its fair last week.

A traditional dunking booth drew a crowd of kids and adults looking to splash local dignitaries and fair officials into the tank of cold water.

For a $1 donation, fairgoers got three opportunities to hit a target with a ball. If successful, and many were, the official sitting on the trap door fell into the cool water with a splash.

All of the dunking booth donations will be used to refurbish the fairground's bathroom, according to Larry "Slick" Jewett, the Elmore County fair board chairman.

"Those bathrooms have been there forever, and when you go in there you'll see what I mean," Matt Arellano, a high school senior said while pointing to the concrete block building.

Fairgoers had an opportunity to get out of the midday sun by visiting the exhibit building. As in previous years, the building was divided between the 4-H booths and the agricultural arts and crafts displays.

"It's nice to sit down in the shade to create some unique balloon animals that put smiles on the kids' faces," vendor, Balloon Guy Allen, said while twisting a green balloon into the shape of a horse-type creature.

The agricultural arts and craft side of the exhibit building was filled with creations and farm related items from local residents.

"I like this part of the fair... I'm a little disappointed the acrobats and carnival didn't show up this year, but there's some cool stuff in here," said Matthew Nicora, a 16-year-old from Mountain Home as he looked at the adult paintings' exhibit.

One of the most popular attractions at this year's fair was the "Have Bull Will Travel," a mechanical bucking bull ride.

Jerry and Kathy Boone, the owners of the attraction, said they cancelled plans at another event in Montana to set up their "lean, mean, buckin' machine" at this year's Elmore County Fair.

"The people at the fair and in Glenns Ferry have been absolutely the friendliest folks we visited with in a long time," Jerry Boone said.

"We got a personal invitation to a breakfast and the live stock sale and that's never happened to us before," Boone said just before a young couple bought a ride on Sampson the mechanical bull.