Mower County Fair Turns 125 This Year

I just had a birthday, but I am not 125 years old, thank you. However, I do have good memories of going to the fair when I was young. I remember going to the midway for the rides, and taking my chances on the duck pond - plastic ducks that went through a little canal. The ducks had numbers on the bottoms of them. The contestant would pay some money and point to the duck that she thought would have a good number on it. The person on the other side of the canal would pick up the duck, turn it over, and give you the prize that matched the number. You might win a small stuffed animal, a sparkly bracelet, or some other trinket.

The food. One treat I enjoyed was the mini-donuts. They've been around for a long time! And another was the salt water taffy, pulled by the automated man that pumped up and down. I also remember liking cotton candy. All of this was the "junk food" we couldn't get any other time of the year.

Another memory was a huge pair of denim bib overalls that hung on the outside of the grandstand. They must have been 25' high!

One year - I must have been in high school - I remember taking my brother's new bike to the fair - without his permission. I forgot to lock it to the fence, and when I came out, it was gone. I felt horrible and was scared to tell him. But I did, and per usual, he didn't get mad at me. He called our insurance company and found out the bike was covered. I never did that again!

I've had occasions to go back to the fair over the years. When I do, it seems so much smaller than it did when I was a kid. One nice feature is the permanent historical center. They do a very nice job of displaying articles from the past: a telephone operator switch board, a doctor's office from the 40's, and even my old pump organ is on display - a donation I made some years ago.