AFTON – The Susquehanna River is less than a quarter mile from the Afton Fairgrounds and late June flooding left more than a small mark on its low-lying fields and buildings.

“At the horse barn I stood nearly at the water line,” President of the Afton Fair Jeanette Grover said. “Neck-high water.”

Organizers of the 117th annual event said the show must go on. Due to a fast clean-up after the flood, the fair kicked-off Wednesday with firemen’s parade, and gates will stay open until Saturday. The time between the natural disaster and the gates opening left some doubts.

Flooding brought four feet of water and all the mud and debris one could expect to the grounds only weeks ago. As levels receded with the lowering Susquehanna, the fairgrounds were left covered with mud. Fair organizers have spent their time since cleaning the high-water lines off buildings, washing everything that was covered in muck and determining what could not be saved.