NORWICH — The annual Chenango County Fair has come to an end, marking the 174th fair event put on by the Chenango County Agricultural Society. This comes a year after the cancellation of the 2020 Chenango County Fair due to COVID-19 concerns and restrictions.

"I think with a lot of things that were going on, people were just anxious to have an activity and get out," said Chenango County Agricultural Society President Mary Weidman.

Weidman said fair organizers this year were sure to provide protective measures to visitors, including hand washing stations and hand sanitizers.

"We work closely with the Public Health Department, and had a lot of signs up, had a lot of hand wash stations, had a lot of hand sanitizers out in each one of the buildings," she said. "The inside of the restrooms were brand new this year."

The additional measures made organizing the fair a little more difficult, according to Weidman. Despite this, she said "attendance was exceptional," estimating the event had around 29,000 attendants.

"Logistically it was a little more difficult than it's been in previous years. But it all worked out well, everybody showed up that was supposed to, and we were really excited about having the fair again," she said. "Attendance was great. You know, we were pleased with the attendance. And that's after we got through all of the heat and avoided the rain. Overall we were really happy."

This year's fair touted several activities and exhibitions, including a parade, tractor and truck pulls, demolition derbies, a rodeo, and more.

The fair also went through some changes this year, Weidman said. This included putting the petting zoo in a different location, changing the route for the parade, and adding another entertainment stage.

"We actually did the entertainment tent, and then also a stage with entertainment over on the South Road," she said. "So we had entertainment over there every night and had some chairs that we got from the state fair, and some propane fire pits so when it was cooler people could sit around and enjoy some entertainment over there, and just sit and chat."

Additionally, organizers decided to scale back the fair by one day, kicking off the event on Wednesday afternoon instead of Tuesday. Weidman said this change was beneficial in a lot of ways, and is something residents can expect to stick around in the years to come.

"This year we decided that, you know, with COVID happening and the bad time, and some of the issues for time frames that the directors had, and the interest of the Extension and 4H, we decided we would just move it to a five day fair. And it was very successful. I think we're going to continue doing that. I think in the future we'll probably just stick with Wednesday through Sunday," Weidman explained.

Weidman explained the Chenango County Agricultural Society is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that was established in 1847. She said its purpose is to put on the county fair, but that it also provides several other events and activities throughout the year.

"It's purpose is to present an annual fair, basically, and to exhibit horticulture and agriculture and products of Chenango County," said Weidman. "We try to remind people that we have a lot of other activities during the year, and that helps us gather funds to be able to do the fair and to maintain the fairgrounds."

"I think it's important to remind people that we are an agricultural county. We do have a very active 4H and Cornell Cooperative Extension program, who are part of the presentation for the animal exhibits and all of the youth and 4H exhibits down in the southern aspect of the grounds. And it helps make people aware of what our roots are here," she added.

County Historian Henry Drexler is currently working on a book detailing the history of the Chenango County Fair, Weidman said. She added that she hopes it will be completed by next year's 175th annual fair, but doesn't want to put undue pressure on Drexler.

"Our County Historian Henry Drexler is taking on the task of writing a history of the fair. So he's started to look at some of the materials they have in their records and at the Historical Society, and some of the stuff we had at the office at the fairgrounds. So I hope- we're hoping to get it done by next year because it would be nice to have it out for the 175th," she said. "But it's a huge task and it's so, you know, it's gonna be his responsibility. And we're working with him. But we're not gonna push him into that date."

With this year's festivities done, Weidman is looking toward the future, and said planning for next year's fair will begin around October, after their fiscal year ends. For now she is taking a moment to be grateful for the volunteers and visitors alike.

"We're just thankful to all the people who volunteer and help, and all the people who come and enjoy the fair," she said.