ELEANOR, W.Va. -- The Putnam County Fair means many things to many people. But all agree it's a time for fun in spite of the tight economy.
Fair president Mike Beller said he expects upwards of 30,000 people to enjoy what the fair has to offer this year.
"That's about average," he said. Roughly 14,000 coming through the gates as of closing time Wednesday night, from stage acts to carnival rides to 4-H exhibits, Beller said.
However, some financial worries have been cast over the event. Beller said the fair has felt the pinch of both funding and community participation. He said thanks to financial and volunteer support received by the County Commission, Parks and Recreation and the Sheriff's Department, the fair still remains a viable event to hold for the community.
"But I really feel fairs like this are a very integral part of our tourism," Beller said, adding that he would like to see some state funds allocated to support these types of events.
Austin King, 12, of Redhouse described the week's festivities as just plain "fun" as he tended to his feeder calf in preparation for the weekend livestock auction, part of his 4-H project and fair event scheduled for today at 7 p.m.
A member of 4-H for eight years, King isn't new to livestock projects with his club, the Horizons. He has shown rabbits, pigs and cows, an activity that his mother Regina King said has really taught him about responsibility.
"These events are really good to teach them to live the 4-H motto, 'To make the best better,' " she said.
As part of raising the animals, she said her son has had to be in charge of their feeding and watering, bathing, walking and keeping the animal's stall or cage cleaned.
"It teaches them how to work hard and take care of something," she said.
She added that during today's auction, he'll sell the calf he's raised and use the money to cover the cost of its care, and if there's any money left over, he'll put it toward another event later on.
But Regina King said she's not sure just how much the calf sale will bring in this year because auction attendance has been declining in the recent past.
"It just seems to be that way with everything right now," she said.
Sisters Kyndal and Mc- Kenzie Bowman are both 4-H members from Liberty, W.Va. Though McKenzie, 7, is not yet old enough to participate in an animal project, she watches and learns from her 12-year-old sister Kyndal as she cares for a young heifer, part of a three-year project. This is an activity requiring her family to support not only the heifer, but the birth of her calf, for the next two years, prior to the selling of both in the future.
But Bowman's mother says it's all worth it.
"I like to work with farm animals," Kyndal said as her mother told the story of her once teaching a chicken to perch on her arm. "It's really fun. I enjoy it a lot," Kyndal said.
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