Great Frederick Fair wraps up 160th year of food, fun and agriculture

Sep. 26—While the nine days of The Great Frederick Fair were full of sun, that lucky streak broke on Sunday, with rain getting dumped on those breaking down the fair on its final day.

Throughout the warm and dry days of the fair, more than 200,000 people came through the gates this year, Karen Nicklas, general manager of the fair, said in an email. This number was consistent with fair attendance for the past five years, she said.

The fair this year boasted more than 16,000 competitive exhibits with over 4,000 exhibitors, Nicklas said in her email. Of the 4,000 exhibitors, 400 were youths.

Many exhibitors were stopping by the Farm and Garden building to pick up their entries of fruits, vegetables, beers, honey and more on Sunday. According to Leslie Lenhart, co-superintendent of farm and garden, there were more entrants than in years past; she said the number of entries across all Farm and Garden categories rose by 10%. It felt great, she said.

The Household entries also saw the same 10% increase, Nicklas wrote.

And with more entries comes new entrants; co-superintendent Connie Palmer said they saw a lot of new people participating.

"We had a lady who entered for flowers for the first time and won best of show," Palmer said. "She went out of here floating on cloud nine."

There were also some impressive entries this year, Lenhart and Palmer said, including a pumpkin weighing over 725 pounds.

The fair brought in a lot of money this year, Nicklas wrote, much of which is going toward scholarships and youth programs within the fair, and other charities. The Youth Livestock Sale generated over $730,000 Saturday, with the grand champion steer, named Cope, selling for $22,000. That money is being split between funding the tuition of Cope's caregiver, Ella Jacobs, and the Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation, which supports research for a rare childhood cancer.

The Youth Cake and Baked Goods Sale on Sept. 18, meanwhile, raised $56,000, she wrote. The grand champion cake, made by Leah Carey, sold for $8,000. Money from these sales will go toward funding youth programs at the fair.

Nancy and Mike Lee, of Fort Detrick, were picking up their various pepper and jelly entries from the Farm and Garden Building. They were juggling jalapenos, habaneros, ghost peppers and various jars. Many of their entries placed, so they were also trying to keep all their ribbons from falling.

"We did good this year," Mike said. They've been entering items at the fair for 15 to 20 years, they said.

They try to enter something different every year, they said. This year, they entered lima beans since it was the first time they grew them in their garden. Next year, Nancy said she might enter some art and photography.

But they didn't leave their fair experience at just Farm and Garden entries. The Lees said they have a new grandbaby, so they got to stroll around the fair and enjoy some good family time. And of course, one can't forget the fair food, they said.

"You gotta try something different every time just because you got to figure out what's best and what you like and go from there. It's just junk food week," Nancy said.

Over 150 vendors set up shop at the fair to sell their wares, Nicklas wrote. There were some "staples" that returned, she wrote, such as Hemp's Meats, JB Seafood and more. But there were also some new vendors such as Aunt Betty & Uncle Bubba's Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Patty Tessari, of Windber, Pennsylvania, was racing the incoming rain as she was cleaning up her stand, Layton's Concessions, one of those "staples." The stand sells patties, sausages and other meats.

They've been making the three-hour drive to The Great Frederick Fair for 45 years, she said, and they don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

They were the only food stand still open and serving Sunday, something that Layton's Concessions has always done, Tessari said.

"There used to be a horse show, and so we stayed open to feed those people, and it's just what we do. I make breakfast," she said.

And while most of the barns and stables were empty, Mycayla Lankford, 19, was still trying to get her purebred shorthorn cow, Echo, loaded up and back home to Emmitsburg. Her brother, Shawn Lankford, and her father, Mike Sweeney, were with her.

The Lankford siblings were shoveling hay and manure while Sweeney was drilling. Echo, who had placed first in showmanship for youth cow showing and overall best in market, was patiently waiting and trying to stay out of their way.

It was Mycayla's last time showing cows in the youth division, she said. Now she'll be continuing the fair's mission of educating youth on agriculture.

"I might do some [shows] with the cattle in the future but now I get to teach the little ones," she said.

Follow Clara Niel on Twitter: @clarasniel