BATAVIA – The Genesee County Fair 2022 is a little less than three months old, but the Genesee County Agricultural Society said it will have some new features when people come to the county fair on July 22-30.
Treasurer Norman Pim said the children would have the opportunity to play with remote-controlled racing cars. The cars will be sponsored by local businesses.
“It will be free for each of the young people who come to the fair. They can drive these small race cars, “he said in a report this week to the Genesee County Human Services Committee.
There will also be pony rides, a Trick dog show, free children’s entertainment days and discounts for Midway rides, a zoo. There will be two nights with fireworks. The fairgoers will be able to sing karaoke.
“Every night we will have some fun, whether it’s karaoke, bands, competitions, etc.,” Pim said. “We will have a Country Jamboree. We will have three country performers in a row, starting at noon and continuing at night. The last group will be the tribune band of Waylon Jennings. “
Pim said the Demolition Derby will return this year.
“It’s a staple. It will be a great night. It’s Friday night (July 29), “he said. Pim said things were being finalized for the event.
“After this year, we are trying to put two …” he said, adding that one could be in the spring and the other at the fair.
Pim said the 2021 fair, with about 55,000 people passing through the gates, broke the attendance record from as far away as the Agricultural Society knows. Attendance is 52% higher than the previous fair in 2019.
“In fact, we’ve seen an increase in attendance every year for the last 10 years, which was great because some county fairs didn’t have an increase in attendance last year. “We were really excited about the support we received from the county and all the people from the surrounding counties,” Pim said.
Pim said suppliers have also reported on their best year in 2021, with some registering to return this year as soon as the last fair ends.
The horse show at last year’s fair had 12 teams of six horses from across the country and was the second largest in the state, Pim said.
“The horse-drawn show continues to grow. They (the teams) were everywhere from Virginia, Vermont, Canada. There were teams everywhere. There is also a waiting list of teams that want to enter. We just don’t have any more facilities. “We went out and bought more barns in the last few years, so I think we can hold 344 horses,” he said.
Last year’s fair included the Empire Classic Youth Sheep Show, the County Open Beef Show and the County Open Swine Show.
There were 119 participants in Genesee County 4-H programs (ages 8-18). There were 1,368 4-H exhibitions, including dairy cattle, goats, beef, pigs, sheep, horses, rabbits, poultry and cavities.
Twenty-seven children aged 5 to 7 participated in the 4-H Clover Bud program.
“This is the power group that is trying to support this program,” he said. “They’re doing a really good job of raising that.”