Weather prompts 35% drop in attendance for 174th Franklin County Fair

GREENFIELD — Strong winds, extreme heat and heavy rain made for an unprecedented period of weather for the 174th Franklin County Fair last weekend, ultimately resulting in a 35% drop in turnout compared to previous years when all was said and done.

“Mother Nature was definitely not on our side,” said Mike Nelson, president of the Franklin County Agricultural Society, which manages the Wisdom Way fairgrounds and organizes the fair each year. “We had to close Friday evening; we haven’t closed the fair on any of the days in at least 10 years now (barring the 2020 cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Friday night’s excessive and persistent rain forced us to do so.”

Fair attendees, volunteers, vendors and entertainers battled storms and extreme heat on Thursday and Friday, followed by an isolated rainstorm Saturday afternoon. Typically, the fair welcomes upwards of 25,000 people each year.

“Overall, the theme of this year’s fair was certainly challenging weather,” Nelson said. “We persisted through the storms and put on the best fair we could with the stormy weather, and really brought together the aspects of the community that make the Franklin County Fair so great.”

Nelson said in the 17 years he’s been associated with the fair — four of which he has served as president — he had never seen so much water in the infield as he saw this summer. The July rainstorms caused similar flooding.

“I’ve never seen water puddle in the infield at all, never mind 6 inches of it, and it’s happened twice now this season,” he said. “There’s certainly been some unprecedented weather and an unprecedented amount of rain that’s causing some headaches for us.”

The rain itself didn’t cause damage, he said, but when heavy vehicles — carnival rides and campers, for example — exit the fairgrounds on saturated, soft ground, “it really tears everything up.” Nelson estimated it will cost roughly $5,000 to repair the infield.

“On the positive side of things, we’ve never had greener grass,” Nelson said with a laugh.

Otherwise, the fair sustained “relatively minor” damage, according to Nelson, including two blown windows.

“Everybody was really running around trying to help salvage what they could,” he said. “The wind was blowing tents and merchandise all over the place and people were jumping in wherever they could to help save the fair from any damage. After we shared the photos of various storm damage, the amount of positivity and encouragement from the community … in support of the fair — it was really incredible.”

Nelson said despite the unfortunate weekend of weather, it was “inspiring” to see the community come together.

“Everybody … was feeling discouraged,” he said. “The community came together to send well wishes and their support to help us get through the weekend and remind us why we do the fair.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.