AFTON – If two years without a midway ebbed participation at the Afton Fair, event organizers say this will be the year to recoup attendance with the return of a midway for the fair’s milestone 125th annual go-round.
The 125th annual Afton Fair kicks off Wednesday, this year with Gillette Shows providing rides and games that have been missing from the fair since 2011. The Afton Fair Board says the midway is undoubtedly the highlight of this year’s festival, likely to bring in more excitement and more visitors to the fairgrounds.
“This is really monumental for us because we have been so long without a midway. I think it really affected attendance and hurt morale too,” said Rhonda Barriger, director of the Afton Fair Board.
Set-up crews rolled into the fairgrounds early Monday to piece together games and rides for the longstanding four-day festival – the only town fair that remains in Chenango County, Barriger noted. “Unfortunately because we are a smaller fair, a lot of midways are going to where there are bigger fairs in a better economy; so we’re very fortunate to have one back.”
The return of a midway was made a priority for the fair board for this milestone year. In a community survey issued by the board in 2013, which more than 170 participants responded, the return of a midway was the most frequent demand among fairgoers, followed closely by more exciting entertainment at the grandstand. According to the Afton Fair website, the board is working toward more grandstand events that will meet expectations.
While the midway is certainly the draw of this year’s Afton Fair, there’s still plenty more to see, Barriger said. The event officially gets underway at 4 p.m. Wednesday when the gates open for a day of free general admission. The firemen’s parade – another longstanding fair tradition – begins at 7 p.m., followed by the firemen’s games and the NBT Bank fireworks display when the sun goes down.
Wednesday will also see harness racing on the fairgrounds track, the annual Afton Fair cruise-in, and a bike drawing for kids ages 5-10 at the grandstand.
The grandstand will be filled with a number of performances until the end of the fair on Saturday, starting with line dancing with Mindy Mills on Wednesday. The band Sundown will take the stage Thursday, and Northern Star Productions will host the second annual Afton Fair karaoke contest at noon on Saturday, followed by performances by Kenyon Hill at 5:30 p.m.
The K-F Rodeo will be the grandstand entertainment Thursday night, and the off-street truck pulls on Saturday. Barriger said tickets are still available.
Of course, the fair will include a number of vendors and displays, in addition to the small animal exhibits, horse shows, cattle shows and agricultural demonstrations it has always had, Barriger said. “We get a lot of great sponsors and great volunteers for this every year,” she said. “It’s a good time for everyone to relax and have fun, and just come together as a community.”
The Afton Fair is supported entirely by donations, private sponsors, and the hard work of dozens of volunteers the town and village of Afton and neighboring communities. More information on the Afton Fair is available at theaftonfair.com.