141st Maberly Fair Held Sat. August 26th

Sandra Reed | Aug 30, 2023

What makes a good country fair? Is it the excitement of the horse pull and the livestock competitions, the sound of country music on the outdoor stage, the aroma of fried onions from the food stand grill, or is it the chance to renew old friendships and build new ones?

On Saturday, August 26th, the rural community of Maberly came together once again to celebrate rural living and farm life with its 141st Annual Country Fair.

Highlighted by all-time favorites like the 4-H sheep and cattle show, light horse show, heavy horse pull and a variety of hall exhibits, there was something for everyone.

The heavy horse pull featured 7 teams (pairs) of draft horses - some Belgian, some Percheron - in the competition. These large, muscular horses are bred to be working animals, used for pulling, plowing and farm labor.  The crowd were pulled to the edge of their seats and held their breath each time a powerful team gave it all they had, pulling the load of cement blocks as far as they could before coming to a sudden halt.

The Zucchini races are always a popular event. Wayne Wesley, who founded the races 16 years ago, cuts axle holes in the zucchinis with a special tool he has hand crafted and the kids insert the wheels and customize their car with accessories from his box full of toys and decorations. When the race starts, each child lets their car run down the sloped wooden ramp and the fastest car wins. The excitement and squealing around this event prove that the simple things in life are still the best things.

Also at the Fair, Stan Haskin exhibited his collection of miniature cars and trucks, which he has been doing at fairs for over 30 years. His collection includes 10,000 cars, including hot wheels, matchbox, dinky, and Lesney. He also has 700 miniature trucks and farm vehicles. Every child walks away with a free miniature car or truck, and there were plenty of children milling around his area.

For the first time ever at this fair, the 4-H Club held a "market lamb auction sale" which drew a lot of interest and, according to the organizers, was very successful.

The face painting booth attracted children like bees to honey, while adults browsed the baking and crafts exhibits and signed up for a free tarot card reading.

Among the award winners at the fair: Most Points in Fair - Marlene Ambler - Most Points in Sheep - Emma McLellan, Most Points in Cattle - Tyler James - top quilt winner Linda Lake, and most points in poultry - Kim Bates.

Kudos to all the local volunteers, the farmers, the artisans and the sponsors who made this year's Maberly Fair another success story.