Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
HANNAH PLEMONS sits in a wheelbarrow while telling Alexa Jilek to turn left during a blindfolded race as part of the Youth Challenge on Thursday at the Gogebic County Fair in Ironwood.
IRONWOOD - Sunny skies welcomed the beginning of the Gogebic County Fair Thursday.
During the afternoon, children and the young in heart rode carnival rides and played games in the midway.
While the American flag was being raised, Alyssa Schwab, of Ironwood, sang the Star Spangled Banner alongside a color guard.
Off in the distance at the grandstand, area high schoolers competed for bragging rights during the Youth Challenge. Teams from Wakefield, Ironwood and Bessemer participated.
The first challenge was the popular wheelbarrow race, where a blindfolded teammate pushed a wheelbarrow while a teammate, in the wheelbarrow, gave commands to navigate around obstacles set up along the course.
Wakefield's Alexa Jilek and Hannah Plemons teamed up in the wheelbarrow. Jilek drove and Plemons barked out commands to steer around the buckets. Jilek said it was hard to control the wheelbarrow without being able to see.
Another contest had contestants hiking between their legs ears of corn into trash cans placed about 10 yards away. While one teammate hurled corn toward the trash can, the other five teammates retrieved the ears. Wakefield and Ironwood both managed to make three ears of corn into the can, forcing an overtime round.
In the one-minute extra session, Jilek hiked the only score, handing Wakefield the 2016 Youth Challenge title.
Later, Marty's Goldenaires Drum and Bugle Corps entertained.
The fair continues today through Sunday. Today at the grandstand, harness horses will trot around the half-mile track beginning at 1 p.m. Juice Newton will perform 7 p.m.
Action picks back up on Saturday with the open horse show at 9 a.m. There will be more harness racing at the grandstand beginning at 12:30 p.m. The 4-H livestock auction takes place at 5:30 p.m. Fran Cosmo will perform at the grandstand at 7:30 p.m.
The fair concludes Sunday. Activities begin at 9 a.m. with games at the horse arena.
The annual antique tractor show begins at noon. The sixth annual pie auction takes place at 2 p.m.
