A SUPPLEMENT TO
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Manistee County Fair | August 2022
2022 Manistee County Fair schedule The Manistee County Fair officially kicks off to the public on Aug. 16 and runs through Aug. 20.
AUG. 15
— 4-H PEN AND STALL SET UP •
1-7 p.m., 4-H Livestock & Exhibit weighin and move in
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5-7 p.m., Fair office open for entry tags pick up for all items exhibited in pavilion
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7:30 p.m., Mandatory 4-H Exhibitor and parents meeting in the big barn
AUG. 17 •
8 a.m., 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Shows
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8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., 4-H Open Class (pavilion) and Youth Open Exhibits Judging (Merchant Building)
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Noon-10 p.m., Merchant Building
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1 p.m., 4-H Poultry Shows
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7 p.m., TNT Bump & Run Event: Doors open at 6 p.m. Grandstand entry fee is $10 ages 13 and up, $5 ages 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under
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AUG. 16
— OPENING DAY •
8 a.m., 4-H Swine Shows
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2 p.m., 4-H Sheep Shows
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4 p.m., 4-H Cattle Shows
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6 p.m., 4-H Goat Shows
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7 p.m., Draft Horse Pulling: Doors open at 6 p.m. Grandstand entry fee $3
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9 p.m., Livestock and exhibit barns close for the evening
9 p.m., Livestock and exhibit barns close for the evening
AUG. 18
4-H Livestock Auction •
AUG. 19 •
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 4-H Hoverball, open to the public
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10 a.m., Photo Day with Manistee News Advocate
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Noon, 4-H youth live performances in 4-H exhibit farn
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Noon-10 p.m., Merchant Building
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6-9 p.m., 4-H youth barn dance
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7 p.m., West Michigan Pullers: Doors open at 6 p.m. Grandstand entry fee is $12 ages 13 and up, $8 ages 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under. Pit entry is $20
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9 p.m., Livestock and exhibit barns close for the evening
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Noon-10 p.m., Merchant Building
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Noon, 4-H deadline for donated auction items. Bring all donated items to the 4-H Exhibit Barn located at the fairgrounds
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4:30 p.m., Buyer registration opens
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5 p.m., Buyer’s dinner and silent auction opens
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5:30 p.m., 4-H Livestock Auction Opens. Livestock and exhibit barns will close directly after the conclusion of the
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., 4-H Hoverball, open to the public
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10 a.m., Large Animal Barn: Photo Opportunity Day: All Best of Show (Open
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and Youth Open Classes in Exhibit Building), Grand and Reserve, and 1st Place Winners (Animal Classes only) in Open and Youth Open Classes.
7 p.m., Side by Side Barrel Racing: Doors open at 6 p.m. •
10:30 a.m., 4-H companion animalinterviews
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Noon, 4-H water balloon wars. Non 4-H youth are welcome but must report to the check-in table between 11 and 11:45a.m.
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Noon-10 p.m., Merchant Building
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3 p.m., Drawing starts for free bike giveaway. Register at the Old Heifer Booth in the Merchant Building.
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7 p.m., TNT Bump & Run and Demolition Derby: Doors open at 6 p.m. Grandstand entry fee is $12 ages 13 and up, $8 ages 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under. Pit entry is $20
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9 p.m., Livestock and exhibit barns close for the evening
AUG. 20
AUG. 21
— LIVESTOCK & EXHIBIT MOVE OUT DAY •
9 a.m., Barn cleaning and tear down
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Manistee County Fair | August 2022
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History of the Manistee County Fair Steve Harold Manistee County Historical Museum In 1891, the Manistee Times-Sentinel carried the following letter to the editor, A.E.M. describing the first fair in Manistee County held just 20 years earlier: “Editors Times-Sentinel: As many of your readers have no doubt attended the ‘fifteenth annual fair’ held at Onekama, perhaps it will be interesting to look back mentally to the first fair held in Manistee County. “Twenty years ago the present beautiful village of Bear Lake was only visionary; instead of the numerous restful homes lining the banks of the lake, only an occasional low-roofed log cabin was to be seen, and when a few leading spirits began to talk of
Enjoy The F
air!
holding a fair, it would have been a mystery to a stranger to know where the people were to come from, or what they could bring that would develop the resources of the new country. “But a meeting for organizing was called, and George B. Pierce, of Pleasanton, was elected President, and R.F. Smith, of Bear Lake, Secretary. “Notices were soon posted and behold! There was a great whispering among ‘the mossbacks’ of the forest. Of course everybody and his family wished to be represented, and the products of the farm grunted and groaned from excess of overfeeding; and potatoes, beets, and rutabagas (which then passed for Michigan apples) grew to mammoth proportions. The corn stalks grew taller than
Continued on Page 9
The Lafayette Mallison family as they attended the 1887 fair at Onekama. (File photo)
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Manistee County Fair | August 2022
4-H planning for full schedule during Manistee County Fair Ken Grabowski For the News Advocate
champion during the week,” said Olson.
After two years of having limited access to their regular fair week activities due to the COVID pandemic the Manistee/Benzie 4-H kids are preparing for a full slate of activities at the 2022 Manistee County Fair.
Before the auction they will host the onsite buyer dinner as a way to express appreciation to those who purchase animals. “All the buyers who come and register get access to our dinner tent,” said Olson. “It is catered dinner and last year was the first time we did it and it received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Our kids still send thank you messages to the buyers, but this way it builds the community relationship stronger.”
4-H Program Coordinator Allison Olson said the program has come back strong this year, and they have the largest number of kids participating in several years. “We have 73 registered 4-H’ers coming to the fair this year,” said Olson. “In the virtual show we had in 2020 there were 26 kids and last year there year we had 56, so it is coming back.” Olson is also encouraged by the type of kids who will be at the fair taking part this year for the very first time. “Most of those increased numbers are brand new, first year generation 4-H’ers,” said Olson.
Poultry shows begin at 1 p.m. on Aug. 17 for the 2022 Manistee County Fair. (File photo)
The schedule for this year is a busy one, and Olson said by the end of the week she expects some of them will be pretty tired after all the activities they have planned. “Our move-in day is Monday, Aug. 15, starting at 1 p.m. we will be moving in and weighing the animals, before getting them settled for the week,” said Olson. “After that we have our 4-H meeting where we basically greet everyone and talk about our expectations for the week.” Aug. 16 starts early at 8 a.m. with the show session featuring pigs with sheep following at 2 p.m. with cattle at 4 p.m. Goats round things out at 6 p.m. “So we start our day with showmanship and follow it with 4-H market class and then we do breed classes and finish up with
The Manistee County Fair includes all kinds of animals, like swine. (File photo)
any open classes through the fair board if necessary,” said Olson. Aug. 17 will be another showheavy day with rabbit and guinea pigs at 8 a.m. At 1 p.m. the poultry show kicks off which will look a little different this year. “There still are some concerns with avian flu, but they lifted the ban on exhibitions,” said Olson.
Cattle shows are slated for 4 p.m. on Aug. 16 during the 2022 Manistee County Fair. (File photo)
Olson said the kids can still do breed shows, but they will be judged virtually like they were in 2020 and for showmanship they will have stuffed birds for each species like ducks, chickens and turkeys. “The showmanship show will still be a public one, so everyone can come and watch that and then our market class will be a
closed show to the general public,” said Olson. Aug. 18 is when all the hard work throughout the year pays off for the kids on auction day. During the day they will be setting up to get the highest bids possible from buyers for their animals. “That is why they all will be trying get a grand or reserved
Olson said they still are going to do the donated item auction to raise funds for the 4-H programs. She said some items will be sold via the silent auction outside the buyer’s tent. They often receive things like pies, quilts, jars of honey, stuffed animals, crafts and more. “We get so many donated items and we love it,” said Olson. “We rely a lot on those donations so if people want to donate something our cutoff is going to be noon on Thursday. They can bring it to the (Michigan State University) Extension office in Manistee in advance of that day or they can bring it to the fairgrounds just before noon on Thursday.” The auction culminates the competitive portion of the fair for the 4-H kids, and the remaining days are filled with fun activities. “After the auction our kids are very tired, but we still have more fun stuff for Friday and Saturday,” said Olson. “On both days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. we are going to have Hoverball inflatable archery and that will be open to the public as well free of charge.” At noon on Aug. 19 they will be having their 4-H youth performance event, which is similar to
Continued on Page 9
Manistee County Fair | August 2022
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Native Amusements to provide carnival at Manistee County Fair Dave Yarnell For the News Advocate After a year with no fair, last summer the Manistee County Fair returned, but without carnival rides. That void will be filled this year with an almost-new Michigan-based company, Native Amusements. “They’ve been building up their business for the last few years,” said Elaine Bossingham, secretary of the Manistee County Fair board. “I know these folks have put a lot of work into what they do because I’ve been watching them. They’ve been working on their equipment and are anxious to make a good presentation, so I’m anxious to see how they
do.”
ment.
Native Amusements was started in 2019 by Timothy Jacobs, who decided to move back to his home state after spending nearly 40 years in outdoor amusement businesses. His last job was as operations manager for a multimillion dollar carnival out of Chicago.
“We opened in October 2019 and the pandemic hit March 2020 — what a great start,” Jacobs said with a smile. “It was tough, but we are still going and looking toward the future.”
“I worked out of Chicago for a pretty big operation until I decided to come home to start our own show,” Jacobs said. “I just wanted to be back in Michigan.” Jacobs is from the Port Huron area, but now lives near Evart where he bought a building and land to store his growing inventory of carnival equip-
How do you put together an amusement company from scratch? “I bought five or six of my own rides and I made an agreement with a guy who was The Manistee County Fair will be held from Aug. 16-20. This year it will selling his small show,” Jacobs feature a carnival from Native Amusements. (File photo) said. “Unfortunately that didn’t work out, so I bought more His favorite ride is his newest set up.” rides and that’s where we are acquisition. If the pandemic and the failed today.” “It’s called the Inferno. It’s a business deal weren’t roadNative Amusements has 16 good ride for the kids and teen- blocks enough for Jacobs, he’s rides — usually bringing 10 agers. A selfish reason I like it Continued on Page 11 is because it’s quick and easy to or 11 of them to each event.
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Manistee County Fair | August 2022
Fair to feature two nights of bump and run, demolition derby Ken Grabowski For the News Advocate Big time family fun both on and off the track is coming to the Manistee County Fair grandstand on Aug. 18 and 20 with the TNT Bump and Run and Demolition Derby. TNT’s Todd Sorensen said the 2022 event is shaping up to be a great one as drivers will be vying for the top prize of the night of up to $1,000. Sorenson said he expects more than 40 cars at the Wednesday event and then more than 80 cars for Saturday night. The grandstand opens at 6 p.m. both nights with grandstand tickets on Wednesday being $10
for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 6-12 and children under 5 will be admitted free for the 7 p.m. race. On Saturday night prices for the big show increase to $12 for ages 13 and up, $8 for 6-12 years of age, and 5 and under will be admitted free for the 7 p.m. event.
bies are full contact and drivers race 10 laps to in an effort to win to make it to the main feature event. The winning car of each class goes to the main event and all losing teams get a consolation round robin last chance to make the main event.
Sorenson said those coming to the bump and run will see plenty of exciting action both nights.
“So we usually have between six and 10 cars in the main event,” said Sorenson. “At the end of the night they have the chance to win up to $1,000 depending upon the car count. It’s more fun because drivers can race their cars more than once unless they have a bad wreck.”
“The Wednesday bump and run will be a double points run because it is a weekday,” said Sorenson. “We are doing big car bump and runs and small car ones for both modified and stock in small car classes.”
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Bump and run demolition der-
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The TNT bump and run and demolition derby are crowd favorites during the Manistee County Fair. (File photo)
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Manistee County Fair | August 2022 Continued From Page 6 popularity rapidly at TNT events is the addition of a Powderpuff Stock class for women and a youth stock class. It’s part of the concept of getting the entire family active in the event. “We just started them the year before last, but they are starting to take off really good, and the women are very competitive,” said Sorenson. “We are doing the traditional power wheels at every show as well, so it brings the whole family.” The Manistee County Fair is always one of the favorite stops for the TNT Demolition Derby group, according to Sorenson. “They have always been a great team for us,” he said. “They work their tails off for us whether it is parking trucks and trailers in the pit or lending an extra hand on the flagging. The Manistee County Fair board has always been so helpful for us and I have a lot of gratitude for what they do.”
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Sorenson said the tight economy and price of gas has impacted their numbers a little this year in terms of competitors, but not anything that has made a significant difference. “The numbers are not up where they were last year, but the last two shows we had have been pretty good,” he said. “We had a show in Manistee in the spring that drew 89 cars, and I am happy with that. Lately everyone that races is working overtime in their real jobs so it makes it hard for some of them to come out at night and race.” That is the reason they throw out the chance for double points for the competitors on Wednesday evening. He said it usually works out well for those taking part in the event and draws in a few more drivers to compete. Over the years, Sorenson said the sport has proven to be very popular with the public in Manistee County. “We like it up there and have
Family fun both on and off the track is coming to the Manistee County Fair Grandstand on Aug. 17 and 20 with the TNT Bump and Run Demolition Derby. (File photo)
a show planned for Onekama Days as well,” said Sorenson. “Even with Onekama Days being so close to the fair we still get a good crowd for both events. We have faithful fans following us all over as I was at a show
down in Indiana (recently) and we had people driving from the Ludington area, so that was kind of neat.” People interested in entering either of the bump and run events should be there when the
pit gates open around 3 p.m. or to register at least an hour or more before the racing begins. Side by side barrel racing will also be taking place at the Manistee County Fair at 7 p.m. on Aug. 17.
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Manistee County Fair | August 2022
In this file photo, West Michigan Pullers hosts an event at a Michigan fair. The group will bring its tractor and truck pulls to the Manistee County Fair grandstand at 7 p.m. on Aug. 20. (Courtesy photo/West Michigan Pullers)
Tractor, truck pulls in the spotlight at West Michigan Pullers show Dave Yarnell For the News Advocate What do you get at the West Michigan Pullers grandstand event at the Manistee County Fair? It starts with tractors fresh out of the field and hot rod trucks off the street and then graduates to super-modified tractors and trucks. “There are a lot of different things that make pulling a great sport,” said Jerrod Glover, president of West Michigan Pullers. “What I like best is the community atmosphere. Everybody knows each other and they are all friendly even though they are competitors. It’s one big group of people who enjoy the same thing.” Elaine Bossingham, secretary of the Manistee County Fair board of directors, said tractor pulling has been a mainstay at the fair for 20 to 30 years, maybe more. “It’s a pretty popular event,” she said.
This year’s event is slated for 7 p.m. on Aug. 20 in the grandstands at the Manistee County Fairgrounds, located at 7587 First St. in Onekama. the doors open at 6 p.m.
it’s flat and smooth,” Glover said.
“Field farm tractors is a great class for local people,” Glover said. “They are regular tractors, only most of the time the owners have turned them up a little bit. One farmer will brag that his tractor is better than his neighbor’s — this is how they sort that out.”
West Michigan Pullers has competition at many events during the summer, particularly at county fairs. The complete West Michigan Pullers West Michigan Pullers has been in existence for about 20 schedule is available on their years and has been in charge of Facebook page. Members of According to Glover street pulling at the Manistee County the group earn points for each diesel trucks are straight off Fair for about five years. Trac- event and at the end of the tors and trucks pull a weighted season awards are presented to the road while pro street diesel the top pullers. trucks are a step between sled down a 300 foot track. street diesel and highly modBuilding and operating a West Michigan Pullers works ified trucks — a somewhat super modified truck or tractor with two companies in Michimodified fun toy that probably can be an expensive hobby. gan that provide sleds. doesn’t get driven on the street Owners look forward to the “The sled comes with an competitions because, as Glov- anymore, but it’s still close to operator and we put together a er says, “if you’re going to have street legal. crew to do the measuring and one of these machines, you “2 hot 2 farm tractors are other tasks,” Glover said. might as well use it.” from the field but they’ve A big part of pulling is graduated up and now all The Manistee County Fair choosing a good path down they do is go tractor pulling,” event will have all of the West the track. Glover said West Glover said. “Limited pro 3.0 Michigan Pullers classes — Michigan Pullers works with diesel trucks are the cream of field farm tractors, street local fair officials to line up diesel trucks, pro street diesel, the crop, top of the line diesel equipment to prepare the track trucks and all they do is go sled modified gas trucks, 2 hot 2 after each run. farm tractors, limited light su- pulling.” “It involves filling up the tracks, grading, getting water on it and rolling it back out so
per stock tractors, super stock tractors, limited pro 3.0 diesel trucks and open tractors.
Glover said the open tractor class includes many types — super farm tractors, pro farm
tractors and other types — all highly modified. “We have a limited light super stock tractor class because the large super stock tractors with multiple turbo chargers are exciting to watch, but they’ve become too costly to own. This class is for modified small utility size tractors,” he said. Glover said that while the competitors and fans do all get along during the events, there is still plenty of friendly competition. “Everyone has their favorite class and there’s always the battle of the brands — John Deere versus International Harvester and Ford versus Chevy,” he said. Entry to the event is $12 for ages 13 and up, $8 ages 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under. Entry for pits is $20. For more information, visit manisteecountyfair.org/copyof-events.
Manistee County Fair | August 2022 Continued From Page 3 ever, and the beautiful golden ears were never filled better. All the cereals fairly outdid any former effort. There were not many well filled purses for making up beautiful nothings, but almost every cabin had its heirlooms, significant of the better day seen in days gone by, as well as some bits of fancy work, made when there was a bit of spare time. The ‘mossbacks’ or farmers, had no thoroughbred stock for exhibition, but the ‘scrubs,’ that had many acres of rich forage to run over, managed to lay on the large supplies of fat and muscle, in spite of the long-billed mosquitoes, the tenacious flies and the insignificant but exceedingly annoying gnats, and managed to look about as well as some of our aristocratic stock does now. “Well the wonderful day arrived, and the farmers were
early on the move. The roads were rough with roots and stumps and cradle knolls. In most cases oxen were used to draw the family carriage, which was usually the good, substantial lumber wagon. Only an occasional horse team was to be found. By nine o’clock the forest roads were pretty well lined with livestock and ‘whoa, gee, and haw,’ were the passwords all along the line. After much jolting over long strips of corduroy (roads) the fairground was reached. “Floral hall was in the centre of the grounds and was a deserted log cabin, formerly owned by Ben Kneedham, Esq., and then stood where Mrs. Collin’s brick block now stands. The grounds surrounding it were occupied with stock and farming utensils. As it was the first exhibit in the county, and the first many had attended for years, one can readily imagine that the ‘show’ was a
9 very good one for the locality, and many strangers present expressed great surprise at the beautiful exhibits of garden and farm products. Of course there was not much money in the treasury to pay for premiums, so instead of cash rewards, red and blue cards were given headed with the following: ‘First Agricultural and Mechanical Fair, held at Bear Lake, October 3, 1871.’ The next year some money was raised for premiums, and for five years the Agricultural and Mechanical Fair lived and flourished annually at Bear Lake.” For many years the fairs of the Manistee County Agricultural Society continued to be held on grounds west of the village of Bear Lake. The location was popular with farmers because it was in the approximate center of the agricultural region of the county. However, the merchants and residents of Manist-
ee felt a location nearer the city would be better and would allow greater involvement by more county residents. In the winter of 1886 and 1887, petitions were circulated among residents of Manistee and Onekama calling for pledges of $10 life memberships if the fair were moved to Onekama where it could easily be reached by boat from Manistee. This drive was successful and the society agreed to establish new grounds near Portage Lake. By a tremendous effort the grounds were readied in August and September of 1887, and on the 20th, 21st, and 22nd of the latter month, the first fair was held at the present fairground. Initially, it was planned to alternate between the two fairgrounds the society owned, but the new site proved so popular, the annual fair remained in Onekama.
Continued From Page 4 Manistee’s Got Talent. Friday night at 6 p.m. they will have a 4-H barn dance. “This is our second year doing it and kids vote on a king and queen (beginner through senior level) along with a prince and princess (clover buds),” said Olson. “The kids love it and it’s super cute.” At 10:30 a.m. on Saturday they will do their 4-H companion interviews where kids bring their companion animal and answer questions on why they chose that particular animal. “It’s general interview skills, which is really the point of it,”said Olson. They also have water balloon wars which Olson said is not only fun, but open to the public as well on Aug. 19 at noon. Any children who are not registered with 4-H participate by stopping at the check-in table between 11 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. “Overall, it’s going to be a real fun week for the kids,” Olson said.
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Manistee County Fair | August 2022
Manistee County Fair to feature livestock, new carnival company, grandstand events Dave Yarnell For the News Advocate
root for your favorite driver,” she said. “You also see team effort – people working together. You see drivers having issues and another driver walking over and give them a hand or a spare part so they can continue to compete. The camaraderie is quite impressive.”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no Manistee County Fair two years ago. Last year’s fair had almost, but not quite everything. This year the 151 year tradition continues full force, running from Tuesday, Aug. 16 through Saturday, Aug. 20.
What is Bossingham’s favorite thing at the fair? “For me, it’s seeing the kids with their projects. I love livestock, so that’s my goto. We offer open classes along with the 4-H classes, so it’s nice to see the variety of animals and the pride that the kids have put into raising these livestock,”she said.
Fair board secretary Elaine Bossingham said the Manistee County Fair is important because it brings people together. She said that despite taking a year off, last year’s fair went well. “We actually had a lot more merchants and vendors of different foods,” she said. “People anxious to get out again. It’s human nature to mingle with each other and the fair is definitely the place you’ll run into the neighbor you haven’t seen in forever.” The biggest missing piece last year was carnival rides. Bossingham said the company the fair used for years went out of business during the pandemic and by the time the decision was made to have a 2021 fair it was too late to book another company.
The fair board is hoping that the only disease-related issue this year will be with the poultry exhibits.
Carnival rides for the 2022 Manistee County Fair will be provided by Native Amusements. (File photo)
Bossingham said fairgoers should be sure not to miss seeing the exhibits — and also entering the competition.
“I would say the kids had fun without the carnival because they learned how to find their own entertainment and get to know each other and become friends,” she said.
“Our fair book, which is accessible at manisteecountyfair.org and at the fair office, lists about anything you can imagine — art, flowers, vegetables, crafts, quilts and more. Many people have chickens now — there’s a class for the best dozen of eggs.”
This year thanks to an upstart Michigan company, Native Amusements, rides are back. Bossingham said the newest event this year is side-by-side barrel racing, featuring a variety of motorized vehicles. Perhaps the oldest event, she said, is horse pulling. “That’s been around since the days of logging to see who had the most powerful team,” she said “We’re expecting a pretty good group of pullers this year coming from across the state as well as out of state. I’ve always enjoyed this event because it focuses on our heritage.” She estimates that truck and tractor pulling has been a mainstay for 20 to 30 years. “It’s a very popular event.” According to Bossingham, the bump and
“We are not going to have any open class birds this year, just the 4-H market exhibits, and those will be closed to the public to cut down on any transfer of bacteria to keep the birds and the rest of the animals safe,” Blossingham said. “There will be turkeys, chickens and ducks, and they will be auctioned off. The kids will display photos to show the public what they brought.”
Bossingham said she thinks the new carnival company, Native Amusements, which started in 2019 just before the pandemic, will do a good job.
The 2019 Manistee County Fair featured a man creating chainsaw art. The 2022 fair is set for Aug. 16-20. (File photo)
run is more of a car race than a demolition derby. “They don’t intend to wreck except to get to the front of the pack,” she said. “The demolition derby is where you go in and crash them up and there’s no return.”
With her daughter taking part, Bossingham knows that the bump and run event is team and family oriented. “You come with a car that no longer has a life on the road and build it and bring it to the track. It’s exhilarating to watch and
“I think the community has to be patient and understanding with them the same as they would with any other new business,” she said. “I know they’ve put a lot of work into what they do because I’ve been watching them. They’re anxious to make a good presentation. They offered $15 daily wristbands up to a week before the fair, which was so nice of them to do since money is short these days.”
Continued on Page 11
Manistee County Fair | August 2022 Continued From Page 5 now frustrated by the labor shortage. “For example, right now, with the help situation, we’re not putting up the Tilt A Whirl because it takes four or five people five to six hours to set it up,” Jacobs said. “The Tilt A Whirl is a favorite ride of everyone, but I can’t find anyone who wants to work that hard to set it up.” Jacobs would like to have 16 to 20 employees, but the company currently has about 10 plus any local people they can find to lend a hand. Another recent challenge for Native Amusements is high fuel prices. “We run generators, plus use lots of fuel going over the road. Coming to the Manistee County Fair we’ll be traveling about 120 miles, moving 20 vehicles so with diesel fuel over $5 a gallon our expenses have pretty much doubled. We opted out of a job in the Detroit area because it didn’t make sense to go 175 mile for just one spot.” Jacob says in spite of the challenges, the goal of his business have not changed. “We just want to bring smiles to everyone’s faces,” he said. “We have rides for people of all ages so we’re both making and bringing back memories.” Jacobs says the smiles on the all the kids’ faces is what makes it all worthwhile. “They get so excited on even the little simple rides – the little boats or the elephant ride – they love them all.” The smiles aren’t just on kids’ faces. “At the Barryton Lilac Festival we had a guy, 93 years old, and his granddaughter pushes him up in a wheel-
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chair and said it’s been 30 years since he’s been on a ride and he really wants to ride the Ferris Wheel,” Jacobs said. “So we helped him on, and the smile on that guy’s face was something else. He had a memory, like we all do, of being on that ride and that’s what we do, bring back memories.” Jacob’s heritage is Native American, hence the name Native Amusements. He has dual U.S. and Canadian citizenship and is a member of the Sarnia Tribe of the Chippewa Indians. Jacobs said Native Amusements takes safety very seriously. “It’s a huge deal for us,” he said. “We do safety checks every day before we open and we have a guy who does nothing but walk around to make sure everything is OK.” Getting bigger is not one of the goals for Jacob’s company. “I want to stay right where I’m at,” he said. “Everyone always asks how big I want to be, but I don’t want to get big. I want to maintain about 12 rides and be the be the best at what we’re doing. Doing a good job at fairs like Manistee County’s — that’s our niche,” he said. “We want to be small and personal and we want the people we work with to be more like our friends than customers. We do a good job for them, we appreciate them and they appreciate us. That’s what makes a good show.” The carnival will run from 5-10 p.m. on Aug. 16; from 1-10 p.m. on Aug. 1719 and from noon-10 p.m. on Aug. 20. Tickets are $1.25 each, most rides take two to four tickets. Wrist band purchased during the fair cost $25 for all day rides.
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The 2022 Manistee County Fair will include several grandstand events, like the TNT Bump n’ Run. (File photo)
Continued From Page 10 As the fair enters its 151st year, Bossingham said the board works hard to maintain its heritage. “We’ve been working diligently to bring back what the fair used to be,” she said. “Of course times have changed and there are so many different avenues for entertainment today, but it’s also important to recognize the heritage of the community and preserve it. One reason fairs are important is you can come back to the things you did as a kid. “At the same time, we do try to keep moving forward, doing different things
and building up the grounds. We greatly appreciate all of the community support.” Besides Bossingham, fair board members include president John Schimke, vice president Herman Gamelin, treasurer Laura Waagosh-Sievert, Paul Adamski, Mike DeLeon, Chantel Gamelin, Cindy Gamelin, Pauline Jaquish, Ashely Newcomb, Melissa Renner, Joe Schimke, Grace Servinski and Janelle Ware. Find more information on the fair at manisteecountyfair.org and on Facebook at Manistee County Fair.
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Manistee County Fair | August 2022
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