Get involved in This Year’s Fair

In less than a week, the fifth annual South Carolina Foothills Heritage Fair gets underway in Oconee County.  This fair is be billed as what an old fashioned country fair should be, complete with livestock displays, locally grown fruits and vegetables, cooking contests and midway rides.  Organizers are hoping for more community involvement in this year’s fair, October 1^st – 5^th.   Fair Board President Stanley Gibson invites local farmers to show off their antique equipment in the nightly Carolina Heritage Antique Power Parade under the main tent.  “We are doing the Power Parade and what the folks do that bring their antique tractors out, they get on the equipment and drive it around from the display area up to the main tent area.  While they are there, the announcers will talk about their tractor and give some history on it, so that people have a better understanding of how this equipment was used in Oconee County. A lot of these pieces of equipment have been passed down from generation to generation in the families.” Attendees are encouraged to stop by the tractor tent and vote for your favorite tractor. Another way area residents can get involved in the fair is this year’s canning competition, adds Gibson.  “It seems that canning in the area has taken on new life, the younger generation is more involved with it and wanting to learn about it, so we tried to involve this in the fair.  We had it last year and had a pretty good turnout of folks bringing can goods in for judging but we hope we are going to fill the building up this year.  The application process is online, but I would encourage anybody out there that does any type of home canning, bring your product in and show it off, you have worked hard to do that.” This year’s fair will be located on the same site as the weekly Market there at 178 Hayfield Road right off Highway 123 near Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative.  For more information, visit www.carolinafoothillsheritagefair.org.