Editorial: Community comes together at county fair

Is there any better slice of Americana than a county fair? It’s small children giggling with their parents on the merry-go-round. It’s teen-agers trying to walk straight after getting out of the Gravitron and Tilt-a-Whirl.

It’s friendly competition in the bumper cars.

It’s the smell of onions and sausage, corn dogs and funnel cakes with pink cotton candy stuck to your fingers.

It’s winning a stuffed animal for your girlfriend at the ring toss.

It’s spending dollar after dollar on similar games that seem nearly impossible to defeat.

It’s walking the midway. The lights. The crowds. The sounds. It’s animals. Lots of them. Cows. Sheep. Pigs. Sure, they smell, but animals tend to do that. Besides, the scent of funnel cakes and corn dogs on the midway more than make up for it.

It’s your friends.

It’s your family.

It’s your fair.

The Lee County Fair, an annual event sponsored by the Opelika Exchange Club held on U.S. Highway 431 in Opelika for more than 40 years, began Tuesday and runs through Saturday.

The fair will feature musical entertainment, beauty pageants, exhibits showcasing crops from Alabama, educational displays, community interests and consumer science, live stock showmanship contests, poster and cookie baking contests, rides for all ages, and plenty of “fair” food.

This fair is as much fun as it is educational, giving all ages the opportunity to learn about Alabama’s crops and local livestock.

We live in an agricultural state and it only makes sense that children learn where their food comes from.

If you haven’t already made the trip to the fair, why not take the family for an evening of clean fun?

It isn’t Disney World, but it doesn’t cost as much and won’t leave “It’s a Small World” stuck in your head all night. It isn’t the largest fair in the world, but you won’t have to walk five miles to take in all the fun.

Gates open at 6 p.m. each night. Cost for admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children younger than 12.

Fair-goers can purchase additional bracelets inside for a competitive price that allows one to ride the attractions as many times as they want.

Go to our local fair. You’ll be glad you did.