Wednesday was a mixture of scorching heat and heavy rain at the Morrow County Fair. A strong weather system moved in from the west and literally blew through the fairgrounds, making a mess then dumping heavy rain mid-afternoon. Another system came through in the evening with a Heavy Thunderstorm Warning from the National Weather Service.
On the agenda for Wednesday was
9 a.m… Horse & Pony Grand Entry/King and Queen Presentation
9 a.m… Poultry Show (Small Arena)
9:00 a.m. … Open Sheep Show (Sheep Barn)
10 a.m… Horse Contest Show (Horse Arena)
10:00 a.m. … Beef Judging (Show Arena)
10 a.m… Beef Breeding Show (Show Arena).
3:30-6:00 p.m. … Earth Day at the Fair (Small Stage)
4:30 p.m… Beef Showmanship (Show Arena)
6 p.m… Market Beef Show (Show Arena)
6:30 p.m… Clover Buds on Parade (Youth Building)
7:30 p.m. … School Bus & Truck Figure 8 Racing (Grandstand)
For the first time, Cornerstone Cafe set up camp at the fair in the building near the arts and crafts area.
What prompted owner John Gompf to take on the fair?
“We don’t usually do real well during fair week,” he said, “so we closed it down this Monday through Friday and put a note on the door saying, ‘Come to the fair!’ We’ll be open there from 6 am – 2 pm Saturday and 8 am – 2 pm Sunday. We’ll be closed Labor Day and be here (at the fairgrounds) til it closes.”
Hours at Cornerstone’s fair food building are 7 am – about 8 pm throughout the fair. Gompf said being there has allowed them to see people he had not seen in a long time.
“We’ve been on the corner downtown for nine years and there are still people who said they never knew we were there!”
He said the heat has been a challenge but he’s having fun.
“It’s been interesting,” Gompf said. “We had no idea what to expect. I’ve already made several runs to pick up [supplies].”
The workers at the food stand included two sisters and John’s mother, who is 78 yrs old and washes dishes there. Workers from the restaurant who volunteered to work the fair are there, too.
“Our group has done an excellent job,” he said. “They’re all troopers and I love every one of them.”