While residents anxiously wait for the Warren County A&L Fair to begin Friday, some have already been working behind the scenes.
“We’re putting out the trashcans and cleaning the bathrooms,” said Kathy Roller, who was among a group of approximately five including her grandson, Justice Musick. “We call him ‘Little Man’ and he’s our helper today. He’s doing really well and helping out a lot. He’s got his work gloves on.”
The behind-the-scenes effort included people working on booths under the grandstands.
“This booth is for Morrison Hardware, Dwayne and Bernadette Doud,” said Shirley Evans. “She’s my daughter. We’re getting it ready for them with a fresh coat of paint, although we aren’t really good at this painting stuff. Maybe it will still spruce it up a little bit.”
Shirley and her husband, Fred, also enjoy visiting the fair.
“There isn’t anything about the fair I don’t like,” she said. “From eating to walking the midway and looking around The Village, I enjoy it all. Sometimes we work in the Morrison Ruritan food booth, but I think we’ll pass on that this year.”
Food and fair go hand-in-hand. Munice Harris of the Church of God of Prophecy food booth knows why.
“It’s the atmosphere. When you sit down with good atmosphere and good food, it’s a combination. A lot of relationships are based around food. That relationship makes memories. When you have that atmosphere of the fair being more like a family, you think of good times. Then, good food just seals the deal.”
She is preparing their menu, which will include a crowd favorite.
“Our specialty is catfish,” said Harris. “It’s in the breading that we use. It’s a different type of breading. People really love our catfish. We promote that really big and we’re really proud of it. We’ll also have our homemade chili and homemade pies. Our pinto beans and cornbread are to die for. My sister makes the cornbread and she does a really awesome job at it.”
Other workers taking Tuesday to begin preparing the fairgrounds for visitors was Roscoe Brown Air Conditioning employee Jason Haston, who was working on the air conditioning for the Lions Club food booth. Homeland Community Bank employees were preparing their booth.
The hustle and bustle starts Friday with exhibitors registering their entries, the Antique Quilt Show at noon, and the Pre-Teen Fairest of the Fair Pageant at 7 p.m.
Saturday will include a Dairy Goat Show at 9 a.m., Colt Show at 10 a.m., Charity Cornhole Competition at 5 p.m., Saddle Club Kickoff Fun Show at 7 p.m., and The On The Road Again Show at 7:30 p.m.