There were still 20 minutes left before the gates opened, but that didn’t stop dozens of people from lining up early. Despite the hot sun, the line stretched far across the asphalt Wednesday morning.
The second the clock struck 11 a.m., as organizers and food vendors scrambled to tie up loose ends, they streamed onto the grounds.
It was official: The 183rd Erie County Fair was underway.
Opening day in Hamburg came with all the typical sights: A savory haze from the food fryers hung over the midway. Lines of fairgoers flowed past the displays of quilts, photographs and floral arrangements adorned with bright ribbons. Hundreds crowded around a small dirt track to see which piglet named after a politician could outrun the others. (The results? Nancy Pig-losi beat out Chris Crispy-bacon and Donald Trump-roast.)
While all that drew thousands to opening day, it wasn’t why Erin Hoelscher was there.
Hoelscher, a local dairy farmer and Erie County Fair veteran, had arrived early to decorate the section of the cattle barn occupied by her friend’s four heifers. Red, white and blue streamers ran the length of the wall, and Hoelscher made each cow a black wooden sign with their name and birthday in white letters.
“Me and my friends love decorating and making it just look fun,” Hoelscher said.
Hoelscher says bringing farm animals – a staple of any county fair – is neither easy nor cheap. She and other farmers have to raise the animals, vaccinate them, register them with the fair, purchase supplies and decorations, and then transport them to the fairgrounds. Hoelscher took the week off of work on her own farm to be there.
But she says being able to show off her hard work and meet members of the public makes it all worthwhile – even when fairgoers ask her how she fits in the backseat of her car.
“We do a lot of work for these cows, and I spent a lot of money just on the fair this year,” Hoelscher said….
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