WAYNE COUNTY, Pa. — The 159th Wayne County fair kicks off Friday after a hiatus because of the pandemic. It was only the third time in fair history that events had to be canceled.
The sights at sounds of food, animals, and fun are a welcome sight at the fairgrounds near Honesdale.
Fair officials and fairgoers we spoke with are excited to have one of the biggest events in Wayne County happening once again.
"The gravity thing over there that spins you around and you get put onto the wall. It's because you're so heavy and you can fully lay down on the wall and it's super fun," said Ella Harget and Julianna Bolduc from Sullivan County, New York.
"Try some rides, maybe come back to the animals, and play some games and eat some food," said Noah Hoke from Dyberry Township.
The fair boasts everything from food and rides to vendors and exhibits, including animals. The fair draws people from all over, some for the first time.
"I've never been to a county fair in Pennsylvania before so it's definitely cool. All the livestock and everything is awesome," said Zachary Greshler, from Long Island, New York.
There are plenty of live shows scheduled during the fair—concerts, tractor pulls, and monster trucks. And new this year is Marvelous Mutts rescue dogs performing tricks and putting on a show.
People are still doing their part in protecting themselves by wearing masks in the fairgrounds, but the fair has done its part and put in hand sanitizing stations as well.
"We do have Wayne Memorial on site here. They are going to do COVID vaccines here on site all nine days if somebody wants to get vaccinated," said Roger Dirlam, the Wayne County Fair president.
Wayne Memorial Hospital added another level of protection, not far from the entrance giving vaccines to anyone who wants one.
Catherine Rumain is working at the fair and decided this was the best opportunity to get hers.
"I'm actually going to be traveling for a bachelorette party and in order to be safe with the group of girls that I'm going with, as well as the location we're going, I figured it'd be a good idea to be vaccinated and prevent getting sick either on the trip or afterwards."
This clinic was meant to encourage people to get the coronavirus vaccine.
The number of coronavirus cases in the county is currently enough for the CDC to consider the spread here substantial, even though the state reports that almost half the eligible residents in Wayne County are fully vaccinated.
"With the delta variant and cases going up around the country, we really need to push that higher. We've done a good job but it's still not enough," said Dr. James Cruse, WMCHC medical director.
Some people may wonder what they need to bring to get a vaccination.
"They don't need anything. They don't need their insurance card, it's completely free. It's probably good if you have your ID, but if you don't have your ID, you can get a vaccine," said Dr. Cruse.
"Oh, my goodness, so easy. I think going grocery shopping is harder than this," said Rumain. "That was super easy."