We waited, somewhat impatiently.

We kept going, sidetracked with finding a new normal amidst the whirlwind of daily life.

Two years.

Then all of a sudden, the musky summer air turned into a crisp, post-Labor Day calm. Summer's hustle slowed and gave way to The World's Greatest County Fair.

Locals started traveling the fairground route in early September just to see the spectacle take shape. 4-H'ers brought in exhibits, fair staffers cleaned buildings and readied grandstands, the stage was built and rides were erected. Both children and adults reveled in feeling the exciting energy that the Clay County Fair brings.

This year, excitement gave way to nostalgia-driven hope – a hope that normal is here, or just around the corner.

A hope that community can gather and children can build character, learn life-lessons and make friendships in the show ring again.

A hope that generation after generation will be able to enjoy the Clay County Fair, cherishing past memories and making new memories forevermore.

A hope that if the fair can overcome last year's curveballs and have great success, then so can we.

To be so beloved doesn't come solely because of a Tilt-O-Whirl or ribbons on a hog; it is because of the soul of it all and the pureness it brings. That joy is palpable when walking through the gates and speaking of its name.

We miss an entire year of this beautiful, wholesome goodness. May we never have to sit out the Clay County Fair again, nor take this local giant for granted.

By the numbers

Youth Involvement

• 708 4-H and FFA exhibitors from 42 counties in Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska participated in livestock and human sciences events at the fair.

• Approximately 1,300 third and fourth grade students from 16 regional schools visited the fair as part of the AgCiting and SciCiting field trip programs coordinated by ISU Extension Clay County.

Fairgoer Spending

• Preliminary fairgoer spending on food, beverage, specialty concessions and carnival rides totaled $2,537,345.95, breaking an all-time record set in 2017.

• Preliminary fairgoer spending set three single-day records for the first Sunday (Sept. 12), Wednesday (Sept. 15), and the second Saturday (Sept. 18).

• GoldStar Amusements set single-day records for carnival ride revenue eight of the nine days of the fair, including an all-time single-day record on Saturday, Sept. 18.

Exhibitor Participation

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Dave Lux, of Everly, comforts his daughter, Dakota, as she mourns the sale of her beloved cattle at fair's end.

• 456 commercial exhibitors, concessionaires, and vendors showcased at the fair. With at least 150 ag-specific exhibitors, the fair again hosted the largest farm machinery and ag equipment show at any fair in the United States.

• 1,127 exhibitors participated in various open class livestock and non-livestock competitions.

Attendance

• The Sleep Number Grandstand attracted 18,585 fairgoers to multiple stage performances and dirt events. The Top 2 attended events were Skillet with special guest Ledger (2,763) and Josh Turner with special guest Dillon Carmichael (2,698).

• Overall Fair attendance totaled 277,389.

* Source: Clay County Fair