×

Parade kicked off fair in spite of rainy weather

Fair weather has been the rule rather than the exception for the first days of this year’s Washington County Fair.

We hope the string of dry weather continues today for the Labor Day crowd and into Tuesday evening for the traditional demolition derby and livestock auction.

But, things didn’t look so rosy Saturday morning as units lined up for the always popular county fair parade. Overcast skies leading up to the 10 a.m. start of the parade gave way shortly before the beginning to a short-lived deluge. Then rain fell intermittently throughout the nearly two-hour-long parade as it progressed up Front Street to the fairgrounds.

We just want to give a shout out to those who went through with marching in the parade. Hundreds of our neighbors endured less-than-perfect conditions to perform, show off their awesome vehicles, spread the word about their political aspirations or cause, or just be seen as a member of a significant local group.

One by one, the parade participants got soaked. But they fulfilled their promise to participate and that’s something to be proud of.

Congratulations, too, to the hundreds who lined the parade route, especially the kids who scrambled for all that candy tossed from parade participants. It’s a fair tradition that we’re glad is continuing. Because that’s a lot of what’s great about the fair – traditions that connect us to the past and continue into the future.

Oh, and after all that rain as the parade ended, the sun came out. Maybe it was an omen for this year’s fair after a run of bad luck and rotten weather in the past few years that cost the fair board thousands in potential revenue.

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.15/week.

Subscribe Today