Officials: Record-setting fair

CELINA - Mercer County Fair officials appear to have outdone themselves again as they anticipate another record setting year for attendance.

The 2021 fair saw a record-smashing figure of 76,000 people.

Fair manager Cara Muhlenkamp is confident that number will be surpassed once the dust settles and attendance numbers are officially tallied.

Ideal weather conditions, a profusion of events for the whole family and a committed group of FFA and 4H exhibitors are credited for drawing impressive crowds to the fairgrounds over the last week.

The fair, boasting the theme "Big Dreams in a Small Town," got off to a rollicking start Aug. 12 as thousands of people flooded the fairgrounds for the annual country concert.

Country stars Collin Raye, Sammy Kershaw and Aaron Tippin, along with special guest Colt Ford, kicked up some dust with their Roots & Boots tour at the grandstands.

The show would have been a sell-out had fair officials not managed to release an additional 700 tickets at the eleventh hour. Still, the concert outsold last year's double bill of Sawyer Brown and BlackHawk, with nearly 4,100 people packing the grandstands for Roots & Boots.

Saturday night's Christian concert featuring For King and Country and special guest Gable Price was a success, too, with a solid turnout of 2,400 people.

And it wasn't just locals who made their way through the turnstiles.

"We had record attendance Saturday for folks outside of the area," she said. "We actually had some folks from the United Kingdom. We had a rather large group from California that flew in for it. (People from) just all over the United States, actually, that had come in so a lot of folks from out of the area."

There was plenty to see, do and taste this year at the fair, including rides, carnival games, animals, fine art, strolling entertainment, 4H projects and exhibitors and over 30 different food vendors.

New this year was a shark encounter where visitors watched sharks swim in a specially designed aquarium.

"We had a lot of people interested in the sharks this year, (and) we had a lot of large crowds for the Marvelous Mutts," Muhlenkamp said of the dog sport entertainment show that ostensibly showcased some of the world's finest canine athletes.

The fair ended on a triumphant high note with the Junior Fair Livestock Auction. New record high prices were posted with grand champion market rabbit shown by Philothea Hustlers member Sophia Zahn bringing in $2,450; the grand champion market hog shown by Washington Winners member Samantha Knapke garnering $5,975; the reserve champion market hog shown by Washington Winners member Alex Meyer netting $3,970; and the grand champion market lamb shown by Mercer County Junior Cattlemen Association member Karlee Knapke claiming $4,575.

Also throughout the week fundraising campaigns rolled out for a proposed $12 million indoor event center and arena and $250,000 Cornerstone Chapel at the fairgrounds were "very well received," Muhlenkamp said.

"We also had a lot of businesses reach out to us with interest in donating to the event center," she said. "We will start hitting the ground running with meetings and different things here next week actually."

Fair officials truly appreciate the community's support for the Mercer County Fair, Muhlenkamp said.

"We are very excited that we have made it through another year," she said, adding it's wonderful to be able to showcase the county's agricultural heritage and local talent. "We're so blessed with what we've got going on here."