Despite the clouds, the Erie County Fair is still drawing crowds with the food, games, rides, and entertainment that people look forward to every summer.
But behind the attractions is a message fair organizers never want people to forget: agriculture remains the backbone of the region and the state. Farming contributes billions of dollars to the economy each year and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs.
A longtime fair tradition is the annual Fair Queen competition. This year’s Erie County Fair Queen, Erica Fisher, says the role is about supporting local agriculture and educating future generations.
“Being crowned queen is very important to be able to support and promote our community and agriculture as a whole. It’s important to continue the tradition to show the youth where their food is coming from and help support the local farmers,” Fisher said.
Morgan Larson, the 2020 Erie County Fair Queen who now serves on the fair board, says connecting consumers with the people who grow their food is a key part of the fair’s mission.
“We’re able to showcase our hard work and application for our farmers and not just only our farmers but also people coming from there. We’re able to showcase and bring that connection between our consumers and our farmers and them both together because our farmers are the ones that are putting that on our tables every day,” Larson said.
Despite the rainy weather, attendance remained strong as fairgoers continued to support a community tradition that celebrates both agriculture and the farmers who make it possible.