Photo by Howard Owens.
No matter what you might think of fairs, Genesee County’s 183rd annual one this year has packed so many activities, there's an expanded eight-day schedule to keep kids and adults busy, entertained, well fed, and — if they come by the carload — financially intact by the end.
Of the many new offerings at the fair for 2023, one of the mainstays is Genesee County Ag Society treasurer Norm Pimm. He has been one of the steadfast volunteers for the event who knows the ins and outs of happenings, from musical groups and a welding competition to the talent show, stockyard classic and a power wheels race for kids.
So where to begin? The stockyard classic show has grown to be enormously popular, with 500 entries, Pimm said. It began with an event in May and will continue July 21 through 23 with a sheep, goat, hog, and beef show. Participants up to 21 will compete for showmanship prizes for the top five categories of peewee, novice, junior, intermediate and senior. The top two will then advance to the next round of competition.
“Any age contestant can show their animal, spectators are more than welcome to come and watch. We'll be running two different show rings all the time. So you'll have pigs in one, sheep in one or two, so they'll be moving around,” he said. “So there will be probably 150 to 200 exhibitors.”
As for music, fan favorites BB Bang will open things up from 7 to 10 p.m. July 22. A group of musicians 18 to 22, they’ve been playing for the last several years, Pimm said. “They are really good,” he said. “They do 75 to 100 shows a year. One kid is from Byron-Bergen school.”
Knight Patrol, a high-energy rock band from Macedon, will be playing tunes from the 80s from 7 to 10 p.m. July 23.
The Eaglez, as its name implies, is a tribute band to American soft rock band The Eagles and will give its fair debut from 7 to 10 p.m. July 27. This band’s performance will include a special giveaway of a guitar sponsored by The Batavian.
A “very big fan favorite” steps up from 7:30 to 11 p.m. on July 28, and that’s Audibull.
Country rock band The Barnstorm will cap off the county fair from 7 to 10 p.m. on July 29. It’s been a dozen years since they’ve been here, Pimm said, and they are coming back with toe-tapping favorites.
For more on the musical lineup, see also: The Eaglez highlights GC Fair's five nights of live music that spans genres and eras
Tucked into that musical line-up are other fair staples and add-ons in the entertainment tent: Faith at the Fair, with a couple of Christian rock bands, from noon to 4 p.m. July 22; the fair queen competition at 3 p.m. July 23, followed by the queen crowning from 6 to 8 p.m. July 24; a crowd-pleasing double night of karaoke from 7 to 10 p.m. July 25 and 26.
Participants that sign up for the talent show by July 22 are guaranteed a goodie bag, and everyone will take to the stage on July 29.
Photo by Howard Owens.
What’s the fair without a parade? That will be happening at 6:30 p.m. on July 25 around the grounds.
Gates open at 6 p.m. July 28 for the demolition derby, with a 7 p.m. starting time. That has been the biggest draw of more than 2,000 people, Pimm said, and this year there will be the addition of a power wheels derby. At 6:15 p.m., kids with power wheels will compete, and whosever battery lasts the longest wins. Featuring motorized jeeps, gators and cars, it’s like a real demolition derby but with children’s versions of vehicles, he said. He watched one at an Adirondack fair.
“It was so much fun,” he said. “There have been 51,000 hits on the post that’s been up for a week so far. People are excited about that. The next biggest is 50,000 hits for an Enduro race.”
The entry form for the kids' power wheels demo derby is on the fair website. There are two age categories of 4 to 7 and 8 to 12. For more information, call 585-709-9859.
The Enduro race is a family-friendly race at 7 p.m. on July 29. Older stock cars with the doors chained shut race some 100 laps for a $2,000 pot.
For anyone looking for some of your more traditional fair amusement, there’s 4-H, which begins July 24 with what’s predicted to be the most entries ever, Pimm said, of rabbits, chicken, sheep, goats, pigs, and the home goods, crafts, and clothing items.
“The barns are going to be full of animals all week,” he said, begging the question of how do they stay cool. “We have big fans that were installed two years ago in dairy, beef and swine bars, and we’re installing them in the sheep barns. They can keep air moving through the barns and shade them pretty good.”
Along with new fans, other updates have included a new sound system and LED lighting in the horse and livestock arenas.
What would a fair be without Future Farmers of America Day? And this year, Miller Welding is sponsoring a welding competition for FFA members on July 26. There are to be 20 to 30 kids showing their welding skills as a way to promote the trades, Pimm said, with plans to build on that with future events for tractor driving and “anything to do with trades.”
An attraction that most fair-goers can’t resist is the Hammerl Amusements midway, expanded for 2023, which runs from 1 to 9 p.m. July 22, 23, 26 and 29, and 4 to 9 p.m. 24, 25, 27 and 28. A Kids All Day (1 to 5 p.m.) special for $15 will be offered on both Saturdays and Wednesdays of the fair and feature Mr. Scribbles and a pedal tractor pull.
Other activities include pig races, balloon demonstrations, a Taste of New York selfie contest, kids Color Wars, an ice eating contest, and an Ag Awareness tent.
Don’t miss preview night that begins at 3 p.m. Friday with a special admission of $5 and the North American Six Horse Hitch Series at 5:30 p.m. at the horse arena, with a follow-up performance at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Regular admission is $10 per carload from Saturday through July 29 at the fairgrounds, 5056 E. Main Street Road, Batavia. The fair is hosting special deals for senior citizens, veterans, kids, and emergency responders on select days throughout the week. Fans can keep up with the deals and news HERE, where the fair will be holding four trivia contests to give away tickets to the demolition derby and coupons to the Ag Society’s food stand, the Chuckwagon.
What’s not new? The need for volunteers. The fair survives on them, Pimm said.
“It’s 100 percent volunteer; none of us gets paid, not one person, and, like, 12 of us work all year round. And then there's others that come in. I mean, just over the week of the fair, we get over 100 volunteers, which is fantastic,” he said. “Yeah, we can allow them on for various parts of the fairgrounds, whether it's the food stand or parking or helping with livestock shows or cleaning barns or, you know, just everything. So, we're always looking for more volunteers and or, obviously, joining the Fair Board, but even without that, we're still looking for volunteers.”
That’s mostly how the operation that’s been going since 1839 has continued, drawing families from across the region to meet and greet with animals — promised to be more than 1,000 this year. Genesee County just keeps thriving and beating the odds each year, Pimm said.
“Really, unfortunately, some fairs aren't even around anymore but we’re around,” he said. "We continue to grow, which is great. I mean, last year, we had almost about 75,000 people.”
For a complete list of events, visit gcfair.com/fair-schedule/. For more information, visit gcfair.com
Photo by Howard Owens.
