More than 200 people gathered on Tuesday evening for the annual Genesee County Fair parade, which drew people from all around Western New York.
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Photos by Howard Owens
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The Midway at the Genesee County Fair opened on Tuesday.
The schedule for the rest of the week:
Photos by Howard Owens.
While waiting for the Genesee County Fair Parade to start on Tuesday evening, Genesee County Legislator Gordon Dibble recalled what he enjoyed as a kid while visiting the summer fair.
“The rides, ice cream cones, it’s really a great place to go,” he said, adding why he thinks it’s an important event for the community. “Because it has its roots in the community, in farming, and that’s what we’re about. You know, the animals and all the shows, and it has something for everybody, with a demolition derby … the numbers go up every year here in recent history. So somebody’s doing something right.”
After the parade, Dibble joined his fellow legislators at the fair’s staple eatery, the Chuck Wagon, slinging burgers, calling out orders, and cashing out hungry customers. The group has done this for several years in a row now as a way to give back to the yearly event, right after walking in the parade, tucked between the newly crowned queen and some well-groomed farm animals.
Legislature Chair Shelley Stein was in charge of the fry station as she reminisced decades ago when she was growing up nearby.
“Probably when I came with my boyfriend back, you know, 40-some years ago to the Genesee County Fair. I grew up around fairs. My fair was Seneca County. So we always showed holsteins and were part of 4-H clubs,” she said, answering what most comes to mind when she thinks about those fairs. “The fact that we would go well prepared, and that our animals had good care at home, and they had a good time with us so that they led really well.
"I'm one of six. So we had to compete in an amongst us before we could even go to the fair, and compete against others,” Stein said. “So learning responsibility about caring for our animals and being responsible for yourself, those are really good character builders through 4-H. So those are my memories.”
And why do you think the fair is important for the community?
“This is a piece of our culture here. We are so rooted in our agricultural side of our county, and we really treasure and steward our land, our farmers, the career opportunities that that brings to our community,” Stein said. “You know, the Farm Bureau is important here, our Ag Society, the volunteers that work here tirelessly, all year long, everybody picks up their little piece. And this fair week offers opportunity to our 4-Hers, it is the culmination of their year here at the fair, and the fun that they have, but really learning about responsibility.”
Why does Genesee County’s fair seem to just keep growing when others have closed?
Stein’s answer is quick and to the point: The county’s Agricultural Society volunteers.
“That’s our secret sauce,” she said. “These folks don’t just volunteer for that for one week out of the year. There are horse shows here, there are beef shows here, there are car shows here. They use this facility and this resource to really help to put money back into our buildings the the grounds itself,” she said. “They’ve tapped into soil and water so that we could improve the drainage here, and we could put stacking pads here for the manure. They’re business people that are really interested in having this fair continue past them. It’s not going to fail on their watch. And they’re really incredible volunteers.”
Legislator Brooks Hawley agreed with that sentiment — it’s “the people behind the scenes” that keeps the place afloat, he said. He likes that sense of “everybody coming together,” and it’s not just the farming population but people from throughout the region who appreciate what Genesee County has to offer, he said.
“I’m also part of Cornell Cooperative Extension, which is a huge part of putting on this fair and helping it out with everything,” he said about the agency’s role in overseeing the 4-H program. “And being part of that committee, I learned everything behind the scenes and see how important this is. And it’s a great thing to see. I’m glad it’s very successful.”
Legislator Gregg Torrey, who grew up on a small dairy farm, remembers the fair as something his family always went to. His dad, having known everyone in the industry, could “always find a place for us to volunteer.”
“So that was always fun,” Torrey said. “My mom was the county Republican chairman, so we always volunteered to work the Republican booth. It’s always fun to come out and go on the rides as a kid and see everybody from the farming industry, cousins and neighbors and everybody you didn’t see here. So everybody seems to come out and have a good time.”
Visiting the fair, with its plethora of animal exhibits, gives Legislator Gary Maha more appreciation for farmers “and what they do with the food they grow for us,” he said. He did note a more recent trend of farmland being used for solar panels, and while “I understand the farmers’ point of view, you can’t tell them what to do with their land … personally, I hate to see all the solar farms going up on farmland.”
As for the fair itself, it’s more for the kids, he said.
“You know, getting the young kids interested in agriculture and farming,” he said. “A lot of these farmers have a lot of young kids, and they enjoyed this week; they spend the entire week up here.”
Wednesday, July 24th - KIDS DAY & CHAPIN MANUFACTURING DAY at the Fair
• 8 AM – 4-H Meat & Dairy Goat Show (Show Arena)
• 10 AM – Exhibit Halls & Buildings Open
• 12 PM – 4-H Gymkhana Horse Show (Horse Arena)
• 12:30 PM – Small Fry Tractor Pull (Exhibition Building) Sponsored by Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Genesee County Pamona Grange, In Memory of Duane Schmigel
• 12 PM – 9 PM—Midway Opens, Kids 16 & Under Ride for $20/wristband 12 PM-4 PM
• 1 PM – 4-H Breeding Sheep Show (Show Arena)
• 2 PM – Color Wars (Grassy Area behind I-Got-It)
• 4 PM – 4-H Hog Show (Show Arena)
• 4 PM – Faith at the Fair (Entertainment Tent)
• 6:30 PM – 100 Lap Enduro (Grandstand)
• 10 PM – Exhibit Halls & Buildings Close
Daily at the Fair:
The 4-H club held its goat show on Tuesday.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
The Genesee County Fair midway opened on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
The schedule for the rest of the week:
The Genesee County Fair Parade is at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Photos by Howard Owens
The 4-H Market Hog Show at the Genesee County Fair was Monday.
Grand Champion Hog award went to Cody Carlson, and Reserve Grand was Jillian Weaver, both of Byron.
Photos by Laura Luft.
The Batavian staff is at the fair all week, so stop by and say hello, enter our eagle-drawing contest and sign up to get all of the best Genesee County community news with The Batavian newsletter.
Like Local News? Then why not support it? Join Early Access Pass today so we can keep bringing to you the news that matters most, the news of Batavia and Genesee County. Use the Coupon Code GCFAIR24 for a discount. $10 off the first year of an annual membership or $1 off each month for a year on a monthly membership. Click here to join.
With 28 singers and a large audience, the Genesee County Fair Karaoke Contest, hosted by Karaoke Club NY, on Monday evening, was a big hit.
The youth winners:
The adult winners:
Food, fun and lots to do and see at the Genesee County Fair on Monday.
The Midway opens Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. and the annual Genesee County Fair Parade starts at 6:30 p.m.
On Monday at the Genesee County Fair, 4-H members showed off their prize lambs in the Market Lamb Show.
Photos by Debra Reilly.
Tuesday, July 23rd - VETERAN’S DAY & UPSTATE EQUIPMENT/BUFFALO BOBCAT DAY at the Fair
*Veteran’s pay $5/carload from 11AM-4PM*
• 10 AM – Exhibition Halls & Buildings Open
• 4 PM—9 PM—MIDWAY OPEN
• 5:30 PM – Parade Line Up (Racing Pit Area)
• 6:30 PM – Genesee County Fair Parade —Around Fairgrounds
• 7 PM—Karaoke Open Mic (Entertainment Tent)
• 10 PM – Exhibit Halls & Buildings Close
All Early Access Pass members will receive a coupon for free entry into the Genesee County Fair on Thursday. Join by the morning of July 24 to be included. Use the Coupon Code GCFAIR 24 for $10 off on an annual membership or $1 off a month for the first year. Click here to join.
There is plenty to see and do at the Genesee County Fair every day, including visits to the Parmalee and Kennedy buildings to see the award-winning arts, crafts, and gardening displays.
Photos by Kristin Smith.
Sunday evening at Genesee County Fair continued with games, activities and the Knight Patrol band.
To view or purchase photos, click here.
For nine years, Gabriella Zocco has been inching her way toward the title of Genesee County Fair queen, and she finally earned it late Sunday afternoon during a second round of the annual pageant that included crowning festivities.
The pageant has several categories, including Little Miss for the youngest ones. Then they move up to Miss, Duchess, Princess, Grand Princess and Queen.
“I started as a Little Miss, and I came back every year I could until I was able to be queen. So this is like a huge deal for me,” the 17-year-old said after winners were announced at the yellow entertainment tent. “And I'm really proud of myself for being able to accomplish this. My future goal is, I want to go to college and I want to major in meteorology and have a minor in foreign studies and journalism.”
She would like to be a weather person on the news one day and be that go-to person forecasting the rainy and sunny days and those nasty tropical and winter storms that roll into folks’ hometowns.
She said participating in the fair queen pageant has helped her bond with people and given her skills to use as she heads beyond high school at Our Lady of Mercy.
“I’d say the most rewarding part is finding myself because every year I learned a new thing about myself, and I learned about other people too, and how to really connect with people through the pageant,” she said. “Because, especially with the speech portion, you have to get up in front of a lot of people. You have to show confidence and leadership.
"And you can’t be afraid to show yourself and you can’t be afraid to talk and share your own opinions, even though other people might disagree," she said. "So I think the most rewarding part is finding myself and making new friends and connections.”
Her mom, Verginia Zocco, the pageant director, said the first portion of the pageant was bittersweet because Gabriella would be aging out since she had already surpassed and won all of the previous categories.
On the other hand, the sweet spot was being able to talk about the earth and women’s health, two of Gabriella’s favorite topics, while having friends and family there to support her.
Remaining crowns for the Royal Court 2024 went to:
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Kelly's Old Timers Band provided Monday afternoon's entertainment at the Genesee County Fair.
Photos by Howard Owens
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