LITTLEFORK — The 2011 Northern Minnesota District Fair in Littlefork was very successful, according to fair officials.
Ed Oerichbauer, president of the fair board, said although Saturday’s rain was something officials hoped to dodge, the long weekend saw around 5,000 in attendance at the 90th annual event.
“I think the fair was great,” Oerichbauer said. “I think it was a great success, a lot of people showed up and everyone seemed to be having a great time.”
Friday’s main events were the mud races, which Oerichbauer noted was well-attended and Fourth Angel performed later in the evening.
Events Saturday included a horse show in the morning, an antique tractor show in the afternoon, followed by lawn mower races, and entertainment by the Sloughgrass Band and Icebox Radio Theater.
“The members of the board are happy with the turnout of all the events,” Oerichbauer said.
Oerichbauer noted that the tractor show has become one of the premier events of the fair and it seemed to have a great response from those who attended.
“Not one event highlights another,” he explained. “They are all received real well. People seemed to enjoy everything the weekend had to offer.”
Games brought excitement to the atmosphere at the fair. New this year was a laptop toss, a game in which fair participants would toss a heavy, old laptop, aiming to get it through a hole in a slab of plywood. Those who successfully made the throw entered their name in a drawing to win a new Acer laptop donated by International Falls PC.
“Our employee (Preston Hoy) thought of the idea a week before the fair, so it was a last-minute decision,” said Maria Morrison, who owns International Falls PC with her husband, Jeff. “It was really fun and we’ll be doing it again next year, hopefully at the (International Falls Bass Championship), too.”
Also at the fair was a glass pitch game in which players threw dimes into an array of glass items and won whatever their dime landed upon. A Top Shot hockey game run by International Falls Recreation Hockey challenged players to shoot hockey pucks as fast as they could.
“We love it here, we come every year,” said International Falls resident Mindy Wilson, who was at the fair with her husband and children Saturday. “It’s nice to have a local thing to have fun, walk around, and enjoy the scenery. It’s an annual thing for us.”
Oerichbauer also explained the vendors, including the back-by-popular-demand Xtreme Archery, said they were “ecstatic” with the turnout and community support. The food booths saw lines with a 30-minute or more wait, he reported. The animals, he added, were also a popular hit.
One downside to the weekend was that the haunted house never showed up.
“We were expecting it to come and it never did,” he said. “Some things are out of our control.”
Even without the haunted house, the carnival was a success, Oerichbauer said, and this year’s entertainment company, Cody Rides, has already agreed to return next year.
This is great news for the fair, Oerichbauer said, which for the last few years has been plagued with issues in securing a carnival.
“We are very fortunate to have a carnival,” he said. “There are many fairs that go without and with two more companies going out of business, there will be more fairs without one (carnival) next year. We are very appreciative of being able to offer one.”
This year, Cody Rides included several amusements including a ferris wheel, the Scrambler and large slide for people of all ages.
And Oerichbauer said next year the fair is expected to be held in July.
“We think it’ll be the first weekend in July,” he said. “We may be able to tap into festivities surrounding the Fourth of July.”
Oerichbauer said he hopes that by having the fair in July, people who have already left the area for the summer by the time Labor Day rolls around will be able to enjoy the event next year.
“We are aiming to make the 91st annual fair better than the 90th,” he said. “That is always our goal.”
