On Thursday evening, Aug. 3, fair board members were hard at work preparing the grounds and buildings for the 75th edition of the Chelsea Community Fair.
Each year, fair board members discuss ways to make the fair even better than the previous year, and when they were asked to make the entrance to the exhibit building a little easier for people pushing strollers and the disabled to enter, they listened. This is the building where the vegetables and flowers, cakes, cookies, canned goods, art work and antiques can be found.
Board members were also weed whacking around the buildings, sprucing up the bathrooms and working on a new ice cream truck that will be parked outside the Nature’s Creation of Life building at the back of the fairgrounds.
Fair Board President Rick Boham said hand-dipped ice cream will be sold this year and proceeds will benefit Project Rural Education Days, or Project RED, which is sponsored by the Farm Bureau and introduces third-grade students throughout the county to agriculture and farming practices. The fair board bought an old ice cream truck and is refurbishing it.
Also new this year is an interactive lumberjack camp for kids on Wednesday-Saturday. The camp will take place following the afternoon lumberjack show each day, Boham said. On Wednesday, Aug. 22 through Friday, Aug. 24, the camp will take place after the 4 p.m. show and on Saturday, Aug. 25, the last day of the fair, it will take place at 3:30 p.m.
Returning to the fair this year is a draft horse pulling contest in the Main Arena for lightweight teams on Thursday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m.
