Fair draws huge crowds, excitement

Dodge County Free Fair was over the top successful! Cars were lined up on Mantorville Avenue looking to find a space to park. Mini donuts were flying out of the machine and the Dodge County Dairy Association’s shakes and malts were in high demand each day of the fair.
Keep in mind this was the first fair since the huge rainfall in 2019 and the pandemic that shutout the 2020 fair. It seemed as though demand for every- thing connected with the fair was so pent up that this fair served as a magnet.
It was my first experience at the Dodge County Free Fair. I was drawn to the animal exhibits. A county fair is nothing without FFA and 4-H animal exhibit. Sure, there’s the grand- stand shows each evening and the carnival, but it’s the animals that kids invest their time and energy to raise that makes a county fair a country fair.
Just roaming the grounds over the weekend was a challenge as lines were in place for tacos, corn dogs, mini donuts, milk shakes and a whole lot of fair food.
As an old guy, I stayed clear of the carnival rides. A while ago the thrill of tilt-a-whirl, Ferris wheels and rides that threw off my equilibrium were cut out of my visits to the fair.
That’s okay; there are plenty of other things to do at the fair.
Saturday nights bull riding drew a near capacity crowd to watch as daring souls mounted bovine behemoths for a shot of lasting a mere 8 seconds.
Fair board members and volunteers should be proud of their efforts to present a county fair that was a tremendous success. Such events do not just happen. There were thousands of volunteer hours leading up to the July 14 opening day.
Of course, the 2021 Dodge County Free Fair was under the watchful eye of Wayne Hen- drickson, photographer and one of the judges of creative arts entries. We’ve tagged Wayne
as the “Energizer Bunny” not because he looks like that rabbit in the Eveready battery commercial, but because he keeps going and going. He shot hundreds of fair photos this year. He shot 4-H entrants, FFA entries, open entries, carnival participants, trailer races, appli- ance races and too many other activities to list here.
Go to the DCI Facebook and the dodgecountyindependent. com website for a gander at Wayne’s captivating photos of the 2021 fair. He captures the unexpected, tender and candid images for everyone to share.
FAIR HEROES
“We can’t all be heroes be- cause somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.”
Will Rogers