Every year, kids and teens stop Oneida County Fair President Kerry Bloedorn to ask the same question.
“They'll stop me on the midway and they'll say, "Hey, can you get some new rides at the fair?” said Bloedorn.
This year, he’s happy to say the answer is yes.
There will be a gondola style Ferris wheel, a drop tower, and big pendulum swinging one called the Extreme, among others.
“There are rides here that I've never seen before,” said Bloedorn. “They have some awesome rides for people of all ages. The teenagers are going to be happy. The adults are going to be happy. The little kids will be happy.”
People can buy ride tickets or wristbands for a day or even a whole weekend.
The money made from the rides as well as donations from people and local businesses, along with the dedicated volunteers are what make the Oneida County Fair possible.
That’s because everything else from the parking to entertainment is free.
“If you want to come to the Oneida County Fair and not spend a single dime, you can come here and have a great weekend,” said Bloedorn. “Every day there's something different going on.”
There’s live music every evening.
The contests range from skillet tossing to watermelon eating.
There’s entertainment throughout the weekend including pro wrestling and aerialist and fire shows.
“Pioneer Park is a beautiful little park. It's covered in these towering pine trees, and you come into the main entrance, and the pine trees are over the top of you, and there's pennant flag ribbons hung all over, and you start to hear the sounds of the carnival, and you smell the food,” said Bloedorn. “There's just something nostalgic about it that everybody loves. I can't wait! I'm so excited.”
The fair could still use some volunteers. You can sign up on the Oneida County Fair website. That’s also where you can find a full schedule of events.
The Oneida County Fair runs from 4:00 p.m. Thursday through 5:00 p.m. Sunday.
