The latest version of the Barton County Fair began Wednesday with the annual fashion review and kicks into full gear this week. This is annual tradition provides a venue for youth and adults from across the county to show off their talents and be get a little pat on the back for their efforts. It is also a time for the community to come together for a week of family entertainment. But, above all of this, it is a chance to remember what makes us the well-grounded folks we are, built on a strong work ethic and a healthy foundation of common sense.

This year is the 24nd year of the new incarnation of the fair. Barton County had its first county fair way back in 1878 and the event took on many shapes over the years as it evolved into the award-winning expo we have now.

The Barton County Fair has won 19 International Fairs and Festivals awards. Organizers credit the army of volunteers and the Friends of the Fair organization.

Like any successful event, part of the success has been the long-standing traditions mingled with the addition of fresh material. 

A fair like this is a tribute to our rural lifestyle, agriculture, arts and crafts, gardening and the pioneering spirit that made these plains inhabitable in the first place. Sometimes mocked as being “hooky” by those who don’t understand the rural way of life, we have nothing to be ashamed of here. The exhibits and the contest entries submitted by local folks prove this.

Sure, we have coffee shops, boutique shopping and other amenities one would find in a larger city, but we don’t have the traffic nor congestion. We really have the best of both worlds.

Now, head to the fair and take in the sites. What one experiences can only serve to makes us proud of who we are.

Dale Hogg