An annual country fair with wholesome family fun and an agricultural showcase attracted around 10,000 visitors to the Education Center and 4-H Park in Otisville over the past week.
This was the second year that Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County and Otisville Lions Club joined hands in putting together the fair, which, prior to the partnership, had been run by the latter almost every summer for over 30 years.
Throughout the four-day event, attendees could hop on rides, watch animal shows, participate in hands-on games and lessons, and relax in the food area with live bands, among other activities.
Angela Wood, an Otisville resident who has attended the annual fair for the past eight years, brought her kids back again for their favorite rides and lemonade.
“My kids like seeing the animals too,” Ms. Wood said of the animal exhibitions by the local 4-H chapter with scheduled shows for dogs, horses, chickens, and sheep. “It is a lot of family fun.”
Mariel Trujillo, another Otisville resident, came to the fair for the first time with her husband and son, and liked the free interactive games for kids at the spacious venue, which included the duck derby, dino dig, rock hunt, and art and Lego contests.
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“We are definitely going to come back,” she told The Epoch Times.
Lucy Joyce, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County, and Sue Marshall, co-chair of Otisville Lions Club, told The Epoch Times that the partnership between the two organizations brought out the best of both worlds.
“We are really excited about it,” said Ms. Joyce of the collaboration, noting that the Lions Club, with its decades of experience in fair organizing, took care of amusements and vendors, whereas her organization brought its core expertise in agricultural and educational programming.
“The collaboration will continue to grow, and it will be here for years to come,” Ms. Marshall said, “It eventually will become a family-oriented fair with things for everyone.”
As for the vendors, most are local small businesses or nonprofit organizations that raise money through selling merchandise and raffle tickets, including the Lions Club itself.
“This is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Ms. Marshall said of the fair. “All of the money we make here goes back into the community for food banks, college scholarships, etc.”
On Sunday, the last day of the fair, Congressman Patrick Ryan stopped by to unveil a $1 million federal capital grant to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County for the installation on its 4-H Park with a barn, camping ground, lighting, and additional water and electric hookups.
Originally planned as a host site for 4-H events, the 54-acre park has grown over the past years into a multi-faceted community development initiative, according to the organization’s website.
The local 4-H program, sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County, is a chapter of a national network of 4-H organizations that promote wholesome youth development through hands-on learning and public presentation experiences.
“[The grant] is a great investment in Western Orange County, and it is a real boost that will expand our capacity to hold educational events and better serve the community,” Ms. Joyce said.
