County fairs long on charm, short on people

It’s county fair season in Minnesota, the time of year when some counties try so hard to keep something going that might’ve seen its best day.

Via Twitter, county fair experts tell me, however, that the Steele County Fair in Owatonna ranks as an exception. We’ll see. It opens tomorrow.

Each fair has its strong suit and distinctive charm, and we’ll hold onto it as long as we can.

Like the pig races in Carver County.

The pony costume competition in Cass County.

The tractor pull in Scott County.

And the demolition derby in just about every county, although this view comes from Fillmore County.

All the venues seemed to lack a key ingredient: people to watch it.