Leader Photo by Scott Williams Spencer Inman, 14, of the town of Lessor, grooms a steer outside the coliseum before Thursday’s open and junior beef show at the Shawano County Fair.
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Moving his hog from the barn into the coliseum is Seth Shively, 6, who competed in the pee wee showmanship class Thursday, along with an older brother and sister who also showed livestock.
Overnight storm leaves little damage
A thunderstorm that drenched the Shawano County Fair before the gates opened Thursday left several puddles behind, but no serious damage.
Dale Hodkiewicz, president of the Shawano County Agricultural Society, estimated that 3 inches of rain fell during the wee hours after Wednesday night’s opening ceremonies.
Hodkiewicz said a parking lot was flooded pretty badly and other areas were soaked, but the storm passed and waters began receding before the gates opened Thursday.
All things considered, the timing of the overnight storm worked out pretty well.
“If it was going to happen,” Hodkiewicz said, “it couldn’t have happened at a better time.”
Presidential politics arrive at fair
Visitors to the Shawano County Fair this year can register their early preferences in the 2016 presidential race.
Both the Shawano County Republican Party and Shawano County Democratic Party are conducting informal straw polls to gauge how voters feel about the candidates in their chosen party.
The Republican straw poll ballot lists all 17 declared Republican hopefuls in alphabetical order, from Jeb Bush down to Wisconsin’s own Scott Walker. The Democratic ballot lists front-runner Hillary Clinton along with four other Democratic contenders, also shown alphabetically.
Democrats can also participate in a poll asking their most important issue: schools, jobs or the environment.
Both political parties have booths set up inside the commercial building.
Hockey league opens food stand
The Shawano Hockey League has joined the lineup of organizations selling food and beer to raise funds for a good cause at the Shawano County Fair.
The league for boys and girls ages 4 to 14 has been promoting organized hockey throughout the county since 1995.
But this is the first time the nonprofit organization got an opportunity to grab a vacant stand at the county fair and raise money. The stand is decorated in a hockey theme and offers such treats as “slapshot burgers” and “Zamboni-loaded nachos.”
League President Greg Rusch said any money raised will go toward purchasing new ice rink boards and maybe a new Zamboni to maintain the ice. Rusch, however, said he hopes the county fair mostly serves to promote greater awareness of the hockey league.
“The big thing is just getting our name out there,” he said. “What better place to get in front of a lot of kids?”
FAIR NUMBERS
232
Number of cream puffs sold by Wolf River Harmony as of 7 p.m. Thursday
5,063
Number of exhibits entered in the 4-H junior division
129
Number of animals to be sold Friday at the livestock auction
48
Number of inches tall required for a child to ride the bumper cars alone