Consider the ideal day at the fair.
Is it the rides? The contests and displays? Is it the midway? The fried dough?
Lights, sound, smells — it’s all part of a slice of Americana that set up its stands and stalls July 9 to 13 in Cortlandville.
The Cortland County Junior Fair began in 1953 in the wake of a larger fair. Initially, it was a place where farm kids could show their chickens and cows, their animals and vegetables. The winners would eventually step up to the New York State Fair in Syracuse.
But the fair has evolved over time. It has live music and a veggie car race. It has tractors pulls — both mechanical and pedal-powered. This fair even has a camel.
It leaves behind a few blue ribbons, some hopes for next year and memories to last for decades.
