The only thing eight-year-old James Pella thought Hymers Fall Fair was missing was a reptile show.
"I hope I get to pick up a snake or pet a crock," he said Sunday afternoon on the fairgrounds in Hymers.
It was James' first time at the Hymers Fall Fair, a 101-year-old tradition for the small community, but he was already making plans for his return next year.
"Now that I know about it, I'm going to keep coming every year because it looks really fun," he said.
While his sister wanted to watch the horse show, he checked out the other animals and was impressed by a peacock. He also found two feathers on the ground that he carried in his pocket for safe-keeping.
James was also excited for candy and he'd already had one hot dog and some french fries, but that didn't mean he was done with the food at the fair.
"The hot dog was good, so maybe some more hot dogs," he said.
The rain seemed to be done for the day around 1 p.m. and Hymers Agricultural Society president Angela Woodhouse-Wild said if the weather kept up, they anticipated up to 12,000 people to attend the fair Sunday and Monday.
She credited the longevity of the fair to it's agricultural focus.
"We don't have a midway. We don't have a beer garden and we keep it that way on purpose. We make it very family friendly, but we also try to really focus on the agricultural and I think that's what keeps our essential core really special," she said.
Woodhouse-Wild also attributed the fair's success to the hard work of volunteers.
"We really depend on them and they seem to make things go smoothly."
For more information on Hymers Fall Fair visit their website.
