By Jan Ehlert
BATTLE MOUNTAIN - The Lander County Fair was held Sept. 10 - 11 at the Battle Mountain Civic Center and Elquist Park. In conjunction with the fair a carnival was brought in for the weekend and the Lander County Historical Society held their annual "Cookout at the Cookhouse" Museum on Saturday.
This year the fair was organized by Sarah Burkhart, executive director of the Battle Mountain Chamber of Commerce. Volunteers started taking in exhibit entries at the civic center on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 8 - 9.
Prior to the opening of the Battle Mountain Civic Center on Saturday there was a red wagon parade held on Broad Street. There were only five wagons but every single one of them was of extreme parade quality.
Doors opened for guests to view the exhibits on Saturday and Sunday. This year there were approximately 300 entries total in categories such as photography, fruits and vegetables, food preservation, table setting, floriculture, fine arts, crocheting, knitting, quilting, hand needlework, sewing and creative arts. Categories were divided by youth or adult classifications. This year there were 17 silver platters awarded. Four of the silver platters went to youth entries, including Quaid Filippini, Jordin Rosecrans and Hunter Rosecrans (two). The 13 remaining silver platters were awarded to adult entries by Lucie Holly, Ted Kern, Joni Davenport, Ann Serna, Charlotte Thompson, Penny Hutchinson (two), Angie Black, Becky Pennington, Salle Lemaire, Mindy Filippini, Bob Renes and Dana Jim.
After browsing the exhibits at the Battle Mountain Civic Center guests went to Elquist Park where there were booths selling food, beverages, jewelry and other miscellaneous items. This year the kids were in for a special treat, a challenge called a barnyard pig scramble. Prior to the event three pigs played around in the enclosed horseshoe pit area where they grazed and got a drink. The girls and boys just loved them and couldn't wait to see if they would be bringing one home. It was a cheerful event and sometimes it was hard to tell who was chasing whom. A couple little kids would chase the pigs and all of a sudden the tables would turn and it looked like the pigs were chasing the kids. While some places grease a pig, it's not necessary, just catching one seemed a challenge for the kids. Though it looked hard to catch them, it seemed the event was over in minutes. It was a fun event for all and the winners got to keep the pig they caught. The winners of the pig scramble were Hunter Rosecran Cleo Fowler and the tag team of Quaid and Quinn Filippini.
There was a small petting zoo with some barnyard pets, ducks, bunnies and chickens. Rex Edgar, the DJ for the day, announced that there were free rabbits for anyone who wanted them. They were donated by Don Negro whom was also available giving free rides on old Engine No.1 from the Battle Mountain Volunteer Fire Department. The smiles that the bunnies, ducks, chickens and pigs put on some of the kids faces was priceless.
This year the sponsors for the Lander County Fair were Marigold Mining Company, Midway Market, Etcheverry's Foodtown, Battle Mountain Tire Factory, Mama's Pizza, Clark Park, Itturiaga's Napa Auto Supply, GardenGate Floral, Donna's Ranch, Shaw Engineering, Lander County and Lander County Convention and Tourism. Thanks to the sponsors, volunteers, exhibitors and guests, the Lander County Fair seemed to be enjoyed by all that attended. The barnyard scramble and farm animal petting zoo seemed to add the flair of a good "old fashioned fair" to Battle Mountain. Next year maybe a pie-eating contest or watermelon-eating contest would fit right in with the event.
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