137th Delaware County Fair

By Mary A. Crisafulli

WALTON - The Delaware County Fair kicked off its 137th year on Monday, Aug. 12. Already one of the largest fairs in the state, the Delaware County Fair Board expanded its area of entertainment this year to include ax throwing, dock dogs, rockin' circus, wheels of agriculture, and Agri Puppets.

Personally, I am impressed by how reasonable it is to bring your family there. A daily pass is $10 or a season pass for $20 and under 12 is free. Now you could argue that is just gate admission and there are additional fees once you are past the door and that's true. But the fair offers so many free activities and entertainment if you plan right, you could just spend the $10 to get in.

One free activity is all the animals - cows, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, and pigs - my daughter and I spent nearly an hour just looking at them. The animals are shown by 4H children and they are always so friendly answering questions about the animals. You can even feed some of them. We got to pet baby piglets this year.

There is also so much free entertainment daily. A Rockin Circus performed two shows a day of the high dive and the Acrobat Circus performed two nights. A large pool was set up for dog dock diving. The Agri Puppets show about the importance of agriculture. There was a bird trailer filled with exotic birds you could interact with and feed. Other activities included cornhole tournaments, Areli Equine Entertainment, Mr. Scribbles - I don't know what this is but sounds fun for kids -, Kangaroo Downunder experience, Che Che the Clown, and Wheels of Agriculture trivia show.

Even just walking around, there's a lot to look at like all the competition work - various collectibles and art. There is always live music in the Entertainment Court and this year an Illusionist performed at the end of the week. There is always the Hero's Parade each year for free too. I even saw a table set up where kids could color in a bandana.

Sure, you might get lured in by the more expensive activities like carnival rides, tractor pulls, stunt shows, or the derby - not to mention all the fried foods plaguing your nostrils at every turn. All I'm saying is you could have a full day of entertainment without it.

The fair runs until Aug. 17 - but it will be back again next year if you missed it.