Fair draws a big crowd

After a slow start to the Carlton County Fair on a hot Thursday, attendance numbers rose as the temperatures dropped.

"It was absolutely full on Saturday," said fair manager Lindsey Larson. "We thought we were going to run out of parking. Vendors ran out of food, the midway (people) said they did awesome. When we looked out the window of the office, it was hectic."

She wasn't exaggerating. The back parking lot was nearly full by noon Saturday and fairgoers had to take a long walk to get to the rides, barns and other attractions. Some people waited in line for more than an hour to get their favorite fair food, Larson said. The demolition derby sold out.

Larson figured people were looking at the weather forecast and planned to come on Saturday. She also thought residents were excited to go to the fair after it was canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

As always, 4-H members competed for ribbons in multiple categories, displaying things they made and animals they care for. "That was really fun. They did all their different shows throughout the week on different days and with different judging times," Larson said on Sunday afternoon. "It's fun to see all their ribbons hanging up now."

It is Larson's second year managing the fair, but her first crack at running one. They were still calculating this week how many people attended. She was riding high after a very busy time. "It was great," she said.

This year marked the 130th fair, which was dedicated to Roger Gustafson, who has put in 50 years with the fair and serves as fair board treasurer.

The top 4-H competitors advance to the Minnesota State Fair, which began Thursday and runs through Labor Day, Sept 6. Find out more at http://www.mnstatefair.org.