Barton Fair

Barton Fair this year has been different from any other year so far. The Barton Fair has recently changed dates to improve the rides.Hiring a new company with better ride reviews from other fairs, instead of the same company they had used for years. Yet this may have had a negative effect on the fair in the end. The reported biggest effect on the fair this year was that it was moved to a school week.This led to less volunteers being able to help staff the fair. It also caused Wednesday and Thursday to be very quiet with not nearly the same number of guests as in years passed. The fair started to pick up a little on Friday with a few daycares and schools bringing their kids for field trips as well as it being senior day. Still, not as busy as a usual fair Friday.

Our reporter also asked some fairgoers about the possible effects that COVID had on the fair. When asked one worker said that COVID has actually not had a big effect on how the fair was run. Yes, it may have affected some guests and their personal decisions to come to the fair, but overall it was not a very noticeable difference. People could choose to wear masks or not depending on what their personal needs were. Many people who choose to visit the fair did choose not to wear the masks inside the premises. Hand sanitizer was more easily accessible than in previous years, though by Sunday it seemed to be running low.

The quiet Wednesday and Thursday were nothing like the fair had previously seen–seemingly deserted, with none of the usual commotion coming from the visitors that came two years ago. The fair picked up Friday and was truly busy on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was a busy day with many of the guests walking through the entire fair, since no major events were going on. This kept the entirety of the fair busy, not giving the workers many breaks or much free time. On Sunday the Demolition Derby was held, drawing most of the crowd towards the grandstand and away from many lower levels. This made the more agriculturally-based section of the Barton fair almost deserted.

The fair has been different than in previous years with very slow weekdays and a lack of volunteers. The agriculture section was missing a few previously committed vendors, and the midway was missing some regulars. Even when picking up on Saturday and Sunday, the new date had a greater effect on who could come than COVID.

Check out additional pictures here.