The Hamilton County Fair marks the true beginning of fall. In its 22nd year, this fair gives locals an abundance of sights, smells, and tastes to savor for two whole days on Dallas Island in Chester Frost Park. Each year, on this 280-acre lakefront Hamilton County facility, more than 50,000 people are attracted to all the fair offers.
Parking is never a problem at the fair, because everyone is required to be shuttled in via buses at Northgate Mall and Middle Valley. I remember when there was a ferry from Harrison Bay State Park that took fairgoers to the grounds. It seems that the recession or feasibility has cut this option out, but it was quite fun as a kid to ride across the river to the fair. The bus ride worked just as well, though, and with officers directing our access to the park, we got to and from the fairgrounds quickly.
The County Fair has a little bit of everything going on. There’s arts, crafts, music, food, and animals to pet. I have to say that if not for the fair, I would probably have never got to see a Brahma cow in real life. As “southern” as our state is, the truth is that it’s rare in this technological society to see animals like cows, pigs, chickens, and horses up close.
For children, making the connection to animals that they see pictures of on television or the Internet is important to establish them in the reality and resource that these animals are. The County Fair allows for this connection to be made. Watching the children hold baby ducks, pet goats, and marvel at the show of skills from the equestrian ring is reason enough for the County Fair to continue its run.
The Hamilton County 4-H Club was at many of these animal stations to provide educational presentations, and there were many a blue ribbon to go around for some of these fine specimens of farm life within the agricultural arena. The Obedience Club of Chattanooga and ChattaPaws were on hand Saturday with two dog performances. Toward the outside of these areas were pony rides, train rides and children’s activities. Although the Chattanooga Market does a great service in allowing local artisans and craftsman to showcase their wares, the County Fair brings out even more exhibitors with arts and crafts. Seeing all these wares laid out reminds us all that fall is here and the holiday season will soon follow. Time to get into the gift giving spirit!
There is always a variety of live entertainment that adults and children can enjoy. This year, the community stage featured gymnastics, dance, martial arts, and performances by Hamilton County’s JROTC Drill Teams and school choirs. There was even a dance of “Thriller” led with audience participation on Sunday. The musical performances included the Ascots, Mountain Cove Bluegrass, No Big Deal, 64 Highway and Roger Allen Wade.
The historical exhibits of the fair included soap making, and blacksmithing and the “Horsin’ Around” carving school group was there to show off their woodworking skills. The Geology Club had a free bag of polished rocks for kids, and showed the type of rocks that can be found around our area.
But some people go to the fair for another reason altogether: the food. There’s something that will get everyone’s mouth watering at the fair, but a few items that stood out included chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick, deep fried pickles, deep fried Oreos, fried green tomatoes, and candied apples. One man had a plate piled high with nachos, cheese, pulled pork barbecue and slathered with barbecue sauce. These types of greasy, comforting and odd food choices are what fairs are known for. Our waistlines are lucky that the fair comes only once a year.
The fair is also a surprisingly political place. There were booths set up by the United States Postal Service to petition for their benefits, which may be in jeopardy due to government cutbacks. This booth offered “The Truth about the USPS” to debunk myths like the one that the USPS is government funded. Next door were booths by several churches with free face painting and copies of the New Testament. There was even a section at the fair divided apart for commercial vendors. The Hamilton County Fair has a good mixture of what our town has to offer in the way of businesses, vendors, artisans, eats, animals, organizations and more. There’s nothing quite like the fair, as attendees will tell you. Ushering in the fall season again this year, the fair continues to provide fun and entertainment for all ages.