The annual Saratoga County Fair is back in action in Ballston Spa, attracting local farmers and thrill seekers alike.
Running since 1841, the fair put on by the Saratoga Agricultural Society is still welcoming locals and visitors to enjoy all the county has to offer. Steel frame barns feature local conservationists educating attendees on how to better protect the ecosystems in their backyard and blue ribbon-ready livestock.
Hunter Weed is in a pen with a handful of goats.
“These are our show goats, they’re also mothers and children. Some of them we have trained, some of them we totally do not. And we’re just hanging out with them, and that’s pretty much it. We just gotta keep them company,” said Weed.
Weed’s playing a reverse emotional support animal role, without him the goats would be too stressed to interact with the public — for now, he says the kids are alright.
“Like if you sit in a hammock with them they’ll jump in with you, it’s kind of funny. Walking around them in the ring is pretty fun. Getting to train them before that is fun too. You have to teach them how to function basically with people. Other than that you basically have a wild goat,” said Weed.
Across the lot, bovine beauties are being prepped for best-in-show competitions.
Jean Pokrzywka is raising Dutch Belted Cows— they’re all black apart from a solid white stripe that splits their front and back ends.
“My first cow, 17 years ago, was only 50% pure. The reason we got into this breed is because my daughter, who is a 4-H-er, had trouble with having a Holstein and going up against all the big farmers who had 1,000 to choose from. So, we found a different breed,” said Pokrzywka.
Dutch Belted Cows go into the “other” category for show cows, meaning their farm is often the only one in the category. But it worked, the young Pokrzywka was crowned Saratoga County's 43rd Dairy Princess in 2012.
“She got me into this. Then she went to college and said, ‘I’m done,’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not selling my cows,’ so, here I am,” said Pokrzywka.
The fair also caters to those interested in churning something other than butter—rows of topsy-turvy carnival rides and challenging games with prized oversized stuffed bears and monkeys line the other end of the fair.
Matt Hogan and Nadia Sutyrina are just getting off the “Air Scramble” which swings riders fully upside down while spinning them in circles. They got more than they bargained for.
"It just looked fun, I didn't even know it went upside down to be honest with you. I got on thinking it was one of those cliche swing rides and then I went upside down and grabbed my phone mid-air during the ride so that was crazy," said Hogan.
"I just love roller-coaster. this kind of reminded me of Harley Quinn. So it was more intense than I expected. It was really fun," said Sutyrina.
Sutyrina moved to the states from Moscow four years ago and this is her first American county fair.
"Yeah, it's really like the movies. You know, a lot of my friends from Russia will be like, 'oh my god, you probably live like in a movie. That's what they do, that's what happens.' And I'm like yeah, that is what happens, it's kind of cool," said Sutyrina.
But apart from the flashing lights and advancements in fried food technology, Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts says the spirit of the fair has gone mostly untouched.
“It really still would have been a festive atmosphere. Farmers work hard all year round and the one week out of the year that they get to celebrate what they do and all of the hard work and their animals and their crops. It is a celebration for them and it’s good that we can keep that tradition going especially in a place like Saratoga County that has changed their economy so drastically over the years from when the fair started 180-something years ago,” said Roberts.
The fair runs through Sunday.
