On the Warren County Fair’s final night Saturday, all Roger Owenby needed to do was glance around the fairgrounds property and see crowds packing the rodeo and main stage areas.

“I thought the attendance was really good, especially Saturday night,” said Owenby, Fair Board president. “I looked around, I thought, ‘Holy cow, we got a bunch of people here.’ ”

Though attendance figures are still being tabulated, Owenby expects this year’s numbers to be higher compared to recent years, especially last year when a rainy final day wiped out the truck and tractor pull and forced other events to be shuffled around.

The 61st edition of the Fair began July 4 and wrapped up July 10. This year’s theme was “A Salute to America.” Organizers were thrilled with the attendance and support offered by the community.

“It was definitely a lot of work, but it went great,” Owenby said. “It was one of the best Fairs we ever had. It was good old-fashioned fun. The rain didn’t bother us. Everything worked out really good.”

This year, it appeared the crowds came out in full force for the nightly motorsports entertainment that the Fair Board scheduled rather than having a night dedicated to a main musical act.

Along with the return of a monster truck show, new additions to the lineup included the Hell Drivers Thrill Show and lawnmower derby. A big turnout was reported for the other nights, including Saturday’s truck and tractor pull that drew more than 100 entries.

“The whole community takes pride in the Fair,” Owenby said. “We’re a hometown Fair. We want people to come out and have fun. Watching people participate in the events was a lot of fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.”

Owenby said a new layout of the fairgrounds appeared to work out well. The carnival rides were moved to the front portion, occupying space that was  normally where the main entrance was. The main entrance was then shifted to the south and the pit area for the motorsports events was then moved to the western side where the carnival rides were formerly housed.

Owenby noted that the level ground for the pit area helped avoid issues when the demolition derby was held Thursday night.

“Rearranging the fairgrounds went well,” he said. “We got some good feedback.”

The association that governs the Fair will hold its annual meeting later this summer, most likely in September. The association is open to anyone for a $10 lifetime membership fee. A member has voting rights for the board of director selections and changes to the association’s bylaws.

BREAKOUT

Rumors of Rodeo Death Untrue

Despite rumors that a rodeo participant had died after being hospitalized following a bull riding incident Thursday night, Warren County Fair Board President Roger Owenby said those reports are false.

Owenby said the junior bull riding participant was loaded into a ambulance and hospitalized in the intensive care unit for multiple days. He said the person suffered head trauma, but didn’t know of any further details. It was also unknown if the individual was still in the hospital or had been released.

One injury that did occur was when a rodeo participant had a thumb amputated during a team roping event on Wednesday night. Owenby said the rider got his thumb wrapped in the rope and a portion of the thumb was cut off.

Reports that were unconfirmed said the thumb could not be reattached.