The following are scenes from the 2019 Madison County Fair which took place July 7-13 at the Madison County Fairgrounds in London.
The Golden Friends team–(from left) Laura Furbee, 10, of London, Eagers Achievers 4-H Club; Chloe Spring, 9, of London, Fairfield Rascals 4-H Club; Kinsley Bolin, 8, of London, Fairfield Rascals 4-H Club; and Ava Mace, 9, of South Solon, Buckeye Rangers 4-H Club–competes in the Ag Olympics hula hoop contest. Contestants had to work together to pass a hula hoop over each part of their body, then pass it on to the next teammate to do the same, then return it back down the line to the beginning teammate. The Golden Friends won the contest.Junior Fair Queen Olivia Rinesmith, 18, of London smiles as bids come in for her lamb during the Junior Fair livestock sale. Coughlin Automotive Group put in the winning bid of $900. Auctioneer Thad Barker is at the microphone; Dustin Massie is standing behind him. Rinesmith is a member of the Fairfield Rascals 4-H Club.Kennedy Nickell, 16, of London brushes down a heifer, “Red Velvet,” in the Dairy & Beef Barn. “I like hanging out with the animals all day,” she said. “I got into 4-H to show horses like my dad did, and then I got into dairy cows. I like coming to the fair because everybody works together to help out.”Cooper Hughes (left), 7, and his cousin, Tommy Hughes, 9, prepare to ride The Zipper. Both boys are from London. Cooper’s father, D.J. Hughes, a Buckeye Rangers 4-H Club advisor, said, “We’re livestock people and long-time fairgoers. My son, Cooper, is a 4-H Cloverbud, and I like the way 4-H teaches kids responsibility and work ethics.”Cole Walton, 13, of London purchases a cinnamon pretzel from Miller’s Homemade Soft Pretzels Truck. Dave and Doreen Miller of Millersburg brought their pretzel truck to the fair for the first time this year. Walton said his favorite part of the fair was the food. He also liked seeing the animals on exhibit. “I liked the goats, and the tractor pull was fun to watch,” he said.Trisha Geyman, London resident and Madison County Fairgrounds manager, picks up an order of cheesy pretzel nuggets at Miller’s Homemade Soft Pretzels Truck. Geyman’s daughter, Olivia, 11, was crowned Junior Fair princess this year. “I think 4-H has helped Olivia with her social skills by being involved in community activities,” Geyman said.Nick Furbee, 13, of London, awaits bidding on his lamb during the Junior Fair livestock sale. It sold to Murry & Edwards Marathon for $300. Furbee is a member of the Eager Achievers 4-H Club.Luke Furbee, 15, of London watches as buyers at the Junior Fair livestock sale place their bids on his lamb. When all was said and done, the Reeves Family and Midwestern Electrical Sales of Orient had the highest bid, $325. Furbee is a member of Madison-Plains FFA and the Eager Achievers 4-H Club.With ribbons hanging from her belt, Laura Furbee, 9, of London stands while bids come in for her lamb during the Junior Fair livestock sale. Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet came out on top with a bid of $350. Furbee is a member of the Eager Achievers 4-H Club.Mara Combs, 9, of London poses atop her horse, “I Got Detailed” (barn name, “Lexi”). Combs said Lexi is protective of her. “She doesn’t like when other horses move up too close to me. I like to take care of Lexi, and she takes care of me,” she said. Combs is a member of the LFS Riders 4-H Club. She and Lexi won all but one of the classes they entered at the fair. They placed first in Western showmanship, English showmanship, Western pleasure novice and Western horsemanship novice. They placed second in trail and hand novice.Hannah Brown, 14, of West Jefferson gets kisses from her goat, “Coco,” in the Goat & Sheep Barn. “I like to work with the animals and get hands-on with them,” said the Town & Country Kids 4-H Club member. “I started working with sheep but ended up liking the goats better. I think the fair experience is good for little kids. If they do something wrong when working with animals, they learn from their mistakes.”Kendra Baker, 10, walks beside her sister, Mia, 2, as she rides “Jellybean” at the pony rides. The girls are from Mount Sterling. Their mother, Susan Baker, said, “I grew up in Madison County, and we’ve been coming to the fair every year since the kids were born.”Lidia Baker, 6, of London rides “Dollar” at the pony rides.
