TURNOVERS

by Alan B. Gibson

Fair Athletic events a huge success

I made mention last week of how much I enjoyed being a part of the annual Family Night Athletic Events at the Clinton County Fair, and this year’s event last Tuesday night was certainly no exception.

I was also pleased to see that the trend in the last few years of seeing an increase in participation, especially among the youth, was encouraging.

After going through a few lean years with the Athletic Event as far as participation goes, the participation levels continues to be on the rebound.

In several of this year’s races, we had to block participation into more than one heat. Of course there were a few events where the number of participants were down from previous years, but there were also a host of factors that could have contributed to that – namely the fact that a late start, last minute additions and changes to the event’s lineup and some of the earlier events that took longer to complete, might have caused some potential competitors to leave.

The most noticeable decline came near the end of the program, namely with the tug-of-war, which in year’s past would have had several teams in each division and could go on for as long as an hour with several heats being necessary.

All in all, however, the night was a successful event with good participation, plenty of fun for all ages, and yes, some bragging rights for the winners to enjoy for the next year.

While we’re on the subject, a big THANKS goes out to all of the members of the Clinton County Fair Board for the volunteer work they do each year to put together not only the Tuesday night Athletic Event – but the entire week long schedule. I know from being around a previous member of that organization, it’s pretty much a thankless job and the weeks leading up to, as well as the week of the Clinton County Fair – while it is enjoyed by those of us attending – it’s a big, big job for those on the organization end.

Again – THANKS to the Clinton County Fair Board for all you do.