By Don Steen
Staff Writer n reporter@psci.net
Indiana’s longest-running county fair came out swinging this year with strong turnout on opening night Wednesday, October 1. The party didn’t stop until late Saturday, and the fairgrounds in Grandview lit up the night sky to greet the first days of October.
This year’s Miss Spencer County was Taylor Kelley, and there were plenty of other pageants throughout the weekend. In addition to the Fun on the Farm Pageant, which crowned winners in the baby, prince/princess, pre-teen, Jr. Miss Teen and Miss Spencer County categories, It Takes a Village also held a Pet Pageant on Thursday to celebrate participants’ costumed pets.
Another highlight of Thursday was the Spencer County Co-Ed Ranch Rodeo. Men and women worked together in the arena to herd, lasso and generally manage cattle. Anxieties ran high during the competition, as a single errant cow could tank a team’s score.
Friday and Saturday brought both crowds as well as races and demolition derbies, featuring everything from mowers to scrap cars and larger vehicles in the “Monster Smash” championship finale Saturday night.
This year’s midway, The Great American Carnival, kept things lively throughout the event. Ferris wheels and other rides struck a stark and bright contrast to the early fall evenings in the fields outside Grandview. Vortex Air Helicopter Rides were also a common sight across the skies as attendees got a chance to view local farms from above.
As ever, there was plenty of food and friendship to go around as well.
Featured Image: Ferris wheels light up a twilight over the Spencer County Fairgrounds.
Pictured clockwise from top left: Joanna Lauer keeps her award-winning costumed canine on a short leash at the It Takes a Village Pet Pageant. Lukas and Skylar Arndt take flight on one of the many carnival rides available. “Pirate Wallace and Parrot Pete” show off their award for best costume. Rodeo contestants gather for a moment of the National Anthem and a moment of silence before commencing with heated competitions of cattle wrangling.
— Photos by Don Steen
