The annual Chenango County Fair has come to an end, marking the 174th fair event put on by the Chenango County Agricultural Society. Above, families enjoy the carousel at the fair. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

NORWICH — The annual Chenango County Fair has come to an end, marking the 174th fair event put on by the Chenango County Agricultural Society. This comes a year after the cancellation of the 2020 Chenango County Fair due to COVID-19 concerns and restrictions.

"I think with a lot of things that were going on, people were just anxious to have an activity and get out," said Chenango County Agricultural Society President Mary Weidman.

Weidman said fair organizers this year were sure to provide protective measures to visitors, including hand washing stations and hand sanitizers.

"We work closely with the Public Health Department, and had a lot of signs up, had a lot of hand wash stations, had a lot of hand sanitizers out in each one of the buildings," she said. "The inside of the restrooms were brand new this year."

The additional measures made organizing the fair a little more difficult, according to Weidman. Despite this, she said "attendance was exceptional," estimating the event had around 29,000 attendants.

"Logistically it was a little more difficult than it's been in previous years. But it all worked out well, everybody showed up that was supposed to, and we were really excited about having the fair again," she said. "Attendance was great. You know, we were pleased with the attendance. And that's after we got through all of the heat and avoided the rain. Overall we were really happy."