St. Louis County Fair Begins

The fair runs from August 10th through the 14th. It's a chance to see talented artists, the hard work of local kids, and shows.

The St. Louis County Fair kicked off in Chisholm on Wednesday.

Even though rain stopped some of the fun outside, it let many explore some of the exhibits inside the buildings.

The open class exhibits showcase the talents of many in the county.

Kurt Conaway of Fayal Township created a lion from steel and chicken wire.

It was his very first entry in a fair ever and his lion became king.

“I knew I could do it and wanted to try it. I’m really happy,” said Conaway.

Kurt’s lion is just one of the many open class exhibits at the fair.

Artists from ages three to ninety entered something in this year’s fair.

“It is the best part of the job. I love seeing everyone come in with their art. They’re so proud of it. They’ve spent time on seeing the different skill levels and seeing them grow from year to year is also exciting,” said Alyssa Johnson, arts division superintendent.

While many come for music to bull rides, some left with inspiration to create more projects.

“The tradition is for 132 years of making this county fair the best family entertainment event that it can possibly be,” said Bettie Valley, executive director of the St. Louis County Fair Association.

Kurt will try to continue his reign at next year’s fair and enter another lion in the open class.

“I’m looking forward to my next lion already. I’ll start next week,” said Conaway.

One just needs to look at the talented artists around the fair and realize that the fair does live up to its motto as the best five days of the summer.

The Salvation Army of Hibbing and Virginia teamed up to hold a food drive at the fair.

Anyone who donates a non-perishable food item will receive a dollar off of gate admission.

“This helps our food shelf tremendously and it helps out our community meal that we serve every evening from four to five and Virginia serves from ten to four and ten to five. We have a lot of population to feed that way and it’s increasing not decreasing,” said Teresa Brecto, Hibbing Salvation Army Captain.

The food drive will continue for the entire duration of the fair.

Last year, they raised $1,000 and 800 pounds of food.