From fresh lemonade to spirited barn animals, the Otsego County Fair kicked off on Tuesday, July 29 with hundreds of community members showing out for the occasion.
Tuesday saw harness racing at the grandstand, a time-honored tradition at the fair since 1877. The day, complete with different livestock shows and freshly-made food, was scheduled to conclude with a Meet the Directors ceremony, setting the tone for the rest of the week as the fair picks up.
Lisa Jackson, fair manager, said the fair evolves continuously.
“I’d say if you haven’t been here in the last 10 years, it’s a much different fair,” said Jackson, who is also the first vice president of the New York state Association of Fairs.
A $150,000 project to put new water lines in has been completed, in addition to $35,000 of new electric and a new campground.
Next year, people also can expect to see newly paved roads, Jackson said. The roads were supposed to be paved this year, but the contractor pushed it back.
This year’s rendition of the Otsego Fair also will feature some new attractions, like a K9 dogs show beginning Wednesday and a rodeo with nine events inside the ring. Returning acts include Gizmo the Robot, which introduces elements of both technology and entertainment.
While the midway was not yet open Tuesday, which includes the bulk of the games and amusement rides, opening day was coined Agriculture Day, with the vendors open and barns full. On Wednesday, the rest of the fair will be up and running, though Jackson said the fair has always “stayed true to the roots of agriculture.”
Drawing people county-wide representing a range of ages, Jackson said younger people are more attracted to the wristbands and the midway. The older crowd, she added, tend to love some of the other exhibits, including their antique village.
There were a slew of vendors present at the fairgrounds on Tuesday. Ricardo Reid, a pastor at the Oneonta Seventh Day Adventist Church, spoke about Helping Hands, a ministry at the church that provides services for community members. In attending the fair, he said they hoped to reach a wide variety of people.
“We believe that if we can get the opportunity to meet and share and be friendly with people as they pass by from different places, I think that’s a good thing to do,” Reid said. “It’s a great thing to do, to interact with people, and what a better place than the fair to share the blessings that we offer as a church. We want to make people happy.”
In keeping with the agricultural themes of the day, Shamar Fitzpatrick, the buffer steward coordinator at the Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District, touched on her work. She mentioned planting riparian buffers, which when installed along streams or other waterways decrease soil erosion, increase wildlife habitat and block runoff that can seep into the stream.
Fitzpatrick said the group wanted to attend the fair for public outreach and as a means to further reach their community.
Virginia Kennedy, group leader of Cooperstown-Oneonta Indivisible, engaged with people at the fair’s opening day, sharing information about the recent passing of President Donald Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’
“Our goal here is to say, we are not telling you to vote for anyone in particular, but we are telling you to pay attention to what is happening to programs that take care of you and take care of your community, under this administration,” said Kennedy, who also is an adjunct lecturer of English at SUNY Oneonta.
People walked around the fairgrounds for hours, petting the livestock or sipping on a cool milkshake. One fairgoer, Sarah Gladding, from New Berlin, said she made her way over to the grounds because she “wanted to come see the animals and for the fair food.”
Drawing from so many different places, Jackson said, the fair sees people from places like Utica, Saratoga and the Albany area.
“I’ve grown up in the fair since I was 4 years old,” Jackson said. “My dad was the vice president of the Delaware County Fair. Now I’m over here. So I’ve grown up with it my whole life. What I love the most is that people come back to their home town. We draw from everywhere.”
The fair runs until Aug. 3, with new attractions opening Wednesday, like the entertainment tent. On Thursday, seniors older than 60 can pay half the price of admission. On Wednesday and Saturday, veterans and active duty members can be admitted for free with an ID.