Washington County Fair Underway in Tennille

TENNILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Funnel cake, cotton candy, a merry-go-round, a massive slide, unique exhibits and animals are all a part of the 2013 Washington County Agricultural and Youth Fair.

The fair is being held at the Washington County Farm Bureau Agricultural Center on Grady Mertz Road in Tennille. The gates open at 6 p.m., until 10 p.m., Friday.  Saturday is the last day of the fair, and will open at 4 p.m., and close at 11 p.m.

This year’s fair includes a scarecrow exhibit and contest.

However, the most popular exhibit is the baby chicks. They are hatched in an incubator and then people get to hold them.

Chickens, goats, miniature horses, cows and a bull are featured in the livestock area of the fair. There is also a wildlife room, which is a big hit among hunters.

“This was added as we got interested in hunting,” says Gerald Andrews, a farm bureau member. “We had so many out of town hunters coming into the county and so many hunters in the county hunting, until we started a big buck contest and then we started a big turkey contest.”

This is the 15th year of the annual event, and organizers say the fair increases in popularity every year.

“It’s a fundraiser for the Washington County Agricultural Center,” says the President of the farm bureau, Sandy Mercer. “We raised approximately $20,000, last year and that helps us maintain the agricultural center.”

A few Washington County High school students strolled through the exhibits, Thursday. Mercer explained the Antique Farm Equipment Exhibit to the students. They got a chance to see the livestock and hold the baby chickens.

Their teacher, Shannon Spikes says she used the fair experience as a learning tool.

“We want to expose the students to different things as far as the animals, the history, all of things that they can learn at the fair,” said Spikes.