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AUGUST 2010
Forget the food and games – family bonds are what make the Erie County Fair so special
By: Brian Kantz
The racing pigs. The midway. The livestock barns. The concerts. The demolition derby. The milkshakes. The cotton candy. I could go on and on. You know it. It’s Erie County Fair time! That’s right, Western New York’s quintessential summer spectacular returns to the Fairgrounds in Hamburg from August 11 to 22.
Like most parents in Western New York, my wife and I have been bringing our kids to the Erie County Fair since they were knee-high to a grasshopper. We eagerly go back each year to enjoy all of the familiar activities and to see what’s new. And Fair organizers never disappoint.
In fact, by now, I’d have to say that the Erie County Fair can be counted as one of our true family traditions. Countless families across Western New York can say the same. You see, when it comes down to it, the Fair isn’t just about the fattening food and fun games. Really, the Erie County Fair is all about family. Read on for more proof of that.
Bonding In The Barns
Families who want to bring their animals to the Fair must go through an application process, which this year had a deadline of July 24. If you check out the Fair’s web site (www.ecfair.org) and click on the “Competitive Exhibits” tab, you’ll find out just how much hard work and attention to detail goes into showing an animal at the fair. Skim over the rules and regulations, fee schedules, and other requirements for each show class and it’s easy to see that fair families must learn how to work together as an organized team just to complete the entry requirements, let alone raising their animal and readying it to show.
The livestock competitions are only one facet of an enormous event involving endless details, complex scheduling, organizational skills extraordinaire, and the interaction of countless people to make it work. When a farm family decides to become involved in fair competition, they have to make a commitment to their animals, but also to themselves in order to achieve their goal.
So, what happens when it’s time for these families to head to the Fair?
“Upon arrival, each animal is allotted a space and goes through a vet check,” explains Jessica Underberg, agricultural manager at the Erie County Fair. “We also check the registration papers from their breed organization. Since cattle and livestock are shown by age groups, this is an important step in verifying how old the animal is.”
Each farm showing animals gets a number and a show book is printed listing all the entries in a particular class. You can imagine how complex this gets when the variety of animals includes different species of pigs (officially known as swine), sheep, goats, cattle, llamas, poultry, rabbits and horses.
Animals are judged on “confirmation” — how well put together the animal is, says Underberg — and showmanship, which is based on not only the handling of the animal but also the grooming of the animal and the appearance and conduct of the individual.
There are so many animals to be shown at the fair that they all can’t be accommodated at once. Underberg shares a fact that most fairgoers are unaware of — over the 12 days of the fair, the livestock is shown in 2 batches. No animal stays more than 6 days, so if you visit the first week of the fair and then return during the last few days, you’ll see different animals in the barns.
“Horses have three turnovers during the fair’s run,” explains Underberg. That way the barns can accommodate the Western Division (Wednesday, August 11); the Open Division (for any age rider and any type of horse, Sunday, August 15); 4-H (Monday, August 16 & Tuesday, August 17); the Hunter Jumper Division (Tuesday, August 17); and the English Division (Friday, August 20).
Complete schedules of all the competitions and show events are also found under the “Competitive Exhibits” tab at www.ecfair.org.
The Fair has even added a “Plan Your Day” feature to their web site home page which allows you to view the event schedule for each day, select the activities you’re interested in, and print out your personalized schedule with a map showing the location of each event chosen.
If you’ve ever visited the barns at the fair, you may have noticed that some families literally set up housekeeping in a horse stall or nap on hay bales next to the pens where their animals are bedded down.
About half the fair families arrive with campers or RVs that act as their home base during their time at the fair, while the rest sleep in or just outside the barns. As the fair closes each night, cots are set up in the barns’ aisles — but are quickly packed away before fairgoers arrive in the morning. Some folks even bring their own refrigerators. Showers are available and breakfast is served by some of the fair’s food vendors. What kid wouldn’t love to be a part of this summer tradition?
It is this unique overnight experience that inspired the good folks at the Erie County Fair to introduce a new gem called “Fair Camp” last year.
Making Memories at Fair Camp
It’s a child’s dream come true. Campers (ages eight to ten) and a parent or guardian get to sleep in the barns for two nights, help take care of the Ag-Sperience animals, show a calf, learn more about the making of cotton candy, taffy and other yummy fair food, and even ride in the parade.
According to Fair organizers, campers and their guardians come away from the ultimate Fair Camp experience with a greater knowledge of agriculture and livestock, along with an insider’s view of the Erie County Fair. According to Camp participants, it’s a great chance to make family memories that will last a lifetime.
Sela Bove, a ten-year-old from Marilla, is one of this year’s lucky campers. She’ll be attending with a family friend, her “Aunt” Helen Tucker of East Amherst.
“Helen has been my best friend for a long, long time and she’s really part of our family,” says Sela’s mom, Donna. “Helen and Sela share an interest in animals and I thought that it would be neat for them to go to the camp together. I’m sure that they’ll bond through this experience. Actually, I’m not sure who is going to have a better time, Sela or Helen. They’re both adventurers at heart.”
Sela read about the inaugural Fair Camp in the Pennysaver last year and applied immediately. She was disappointed to find out that she was not selected as one of the limited amount of campers. But she applied again this year and her perseverance paid off.
“When Donna asked me if I’d go to the camp with Sela, I said, ‘Absolutely, I’ll go.’ I think it will bring out the kid in me and I can’t wait to see Sela in action. She’s been around dogs and cats and bunnies her whole life, but this will be a chance for her to work with other farm animals. It should be a terrific experience,” says Tucker.
The camp will be a bit of a homecoming for Tucker who used to live in Hamburg, where she taught 4-H classes and showed appaloosa horses at the fairgrounds.
“In 4-H, kids learn the nature of individual animals and they learn respect for all animals. They learn about taking care of animals, including feeding and cleaning. And then there is the show aspect. 4-H is a very hands-on program,” says Tucker, an outdoor-enthusiast who hosts a fishing party at her pond for about 30 children of her friends each year. “I’m expecting that the camp will be similar to the 4-H experience.”
Racing Across America
Ask a group of kids who have just been to the Erie County Fair what they liked best and I guarantee that the majority will excitedly answer, “The racing pigs!” Yes, the Swifty Swine racing pigs are hugely popular and Zach Johnson of Raymore, Missouri is the man responsible for this one-of-a-swine entertainment.
Johnson says his business is based on family values.
“My mom and dad raised pigs on our family’s farm in Missouri. They also had a petting zoo, so I am used to the mission of entertaining and educating people with animals,” says Johnson, who was recently profiled in a segment on National Public Radio. “Pig racing has been around at county fairs for at least 40 years. I used to see pig races when I was a kid myself. I got into this business about 13 years ago because I wanted to make it bigger, better and cleaner.”
Ultimately, Johnson says, he aims to provide good, old-fashioned family entertainment. “I think people really get a kick out of pig racing. It’s something that you can only see at the fair. So, there’s a lot of anticipation and kids look forward to it for the whole year,” he notes. “For folks who have never seen the 
races before, it’s very unexpected and it provides a lot of joy. People come to the fair to have a good time and we like to be a part of that.”
Johnson spends nine months of the year, from February to November, on the road, with his pig racing business. He’s accompanied by his wife and three young daughters. Johnson’s wife home-schools the kids and she drives their 45-foot house trailer behind her husband, while he drives the pigs.
“I love it. I really do. I know that it’s a unique way to live, but we get to travel the entire country together doing this,” says Johnson. “The girls have been able to grow up following the Lewis and Clark Trail and visiting historic places like Philadelphia and Washington, DC, and learning about the history of our great country. Being on the road is just a part of their life.”
Johnson’s cousin is also involved in the family business, running a second Swifty Swine’s show. When the business is going “full boar” in the summertime, they have six or seven trailers out on the road crisscrossing the country at any one time.
Swifty Swine Productions typically keeps pigs for about three months while they are small, cute and floppy-eared. Once the pigs get bigger, Johnson returns them to farm life. He’s proud of the care that he and his team of handlers give the pigs. As a farm kid himself, Johnson is fully aware of the hard work that it takes to run a clean, efficient operation. And he loves the fact that county fairs promote that kind of responsibility.
“Animal husbandry and other topics that FFA and 4-H kids learn about are so useful. Kids are able to see how precious life is from birth to death. And they really gain this incredible sense of responsibility that you can’t get sitting around playing video games,” Johnson says.
As for his annual trip through Western New York, Johnson says it feels like a home away from home.
“We’ve been coming to the Erie County Fair for about eight years now. I’m not just saying this — it’s a really great fair. Great people, great weather,” he says. “It’s always a weeklong family reunion. We know a lot of people in Western New York now, from fairgoers to other entertainers and vendors and that makes it really fun. Western New York is full of good, friendly people. You can tell that folks there really care about family.”
Brian Kantz is an Amherst, NY freelance writer and the father of two young sons. He has also written “The Newbie Dad” column in WNY Family since 2004
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