Fair roars into and out of Kasson

After 166 years, you could say they’ve got this thing figured out.

That’s how long the Dodge County Free Fair has been running, and this year from July 12-16 it drew as many as 40,000 people, said Kelly Caspers, vice president of the fair board.

“It was really well-received this year and the weather helped too,” she said. “Grandstand events were well-received. All in all, this fair was near the top.”

Food vendors did well at the fair, she said, with the Greek stand a sell-out vendor. A new BBQ stand did well too, and “people love their donuts,” Caspers said. Ice cream was popular too.

For music, the Dodge County Free Fair did well, with Colt 45, Ragtown and Roadhouse 6 pleasing the crowds gathered to enjoy live tunes with country and 70s music.

Another highlight of this year’s fair was the talent show, with 10 kids participating. They did song, dance and comedy, Caspers said, and were ages 11 to 17 years old.

The top five talents will go on to the Minnesota State Fair amateur talent show.

“The talent show was a big hit,” Caspers said. “That was new. It was the first time in ten years we’ve had it. Kids came from all around the county. We’ll definitely have that back next year.”

Floating throughout the fair were a juggler, bubbler and balloon artist. There was a cow milking contest as well as food eating contests, including watermelon and whipped cream.

“That was fun to watch,” Caspers said.

At the Grandstand, the shows were full, with droves drawn to bull riding, stock car races, trailer races, demolition derby and motocross racing all well-received events, she said. 4H and FFA were also big draws this year at the Dodge County Free Fair, Caspers said.