A crowd gathered to witness the blast of the cannon, which featured Senator George Borrello, Assemblyman Andy Goodell, County Executive PJ Wendel, Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas and Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek, among many others. After the blast, Fair Board President Dave Wilson raised his hands and proudly proclaimed, “There it is, the start of the fair!”

Wilson, who has served as President dating back to before the pandemic, has been affiliated with the fair long enough that he joked he could receive retirement pay from it.

“It’s very fun seeing it all come together. The nice part for me is when I walk around the fair and everyone has a smile on their face. It’s kind of like Christmas,” Wilson said. “That’s what really drives me, seeing people come through, having a good time. That’s why I do it.”

After the firing of the cannon, local 4-H members took guests on a tour through the grounds to highlight the 4-H work throughout the fair. First, the group observed exhibits displayed by various 4-H groups. The tour then progressed to the barns to see the animals.

Senator George Borrello posed with his nephew, Bryce Skarzenski, who proudly displayed a chicken, one of the various animals he showed at the fair for the first time.

Borrello, who grew up attending the fair as a child, enjoyed his trip back on Tuesday.

“This is special for me. Growing up in Fredonia, fair week was always magical. It was fun,” Borrello said.

Borrello, who serves as a ranking member on the Senate Agriculture Committee, spoke to the importance of the fair and its involvement with 4-H, both on a regional level and far beyond.

“One of the biggest challenges we face is the attack on agriculture that happens, often from folks from New York City, that don’t really understand how agriculture works, how important it is to our economy, and how important it is to the people in this region,” Borrello said. “This definitely is energizing for me. It’s important to the region that we have this highlighted agriculture every year. … I hope everyone gets a chance to come to the fair, and to support agriculture by coming to the fair.”

In addition to his professional connection, Borrello had an extra personal investment to the fair this year. His nephew, Bryce Skarzenski, participates in 4-H and showed animals at the fair for the first time this year. He proudly displayed his chicken to Borrello and smiled as they took a photo together.

“He’s very excited to be here to show his animals off, and I’m extremely excited to be here to watch him do this for the first time,” Borrello said of his nephew, Bryce.

Borrello also credited the fair’s long-standing relationship with 4-H. “This highlights all the kids that work so hard. They have a chance to showcase this to not just people in Chautauqua County, but from around the region that come to the Chautauqua County Fair,” Borrello said. “This is really important … and it’s important for me to be here to highlight it.”

Hoping for good weather throughout the week, Wilson noted the fairgrounds were prepared even with mud near the areas of some rides and food vendors. Wilson credited the efforts of all those involved in setting up the fair – a process that takes six to seven months a year to coordinate.

“There are two things I can’t control in my world: weather and time. Other than that, I’m doing the best I can,” Wilson said.

The fair runs through Sunday, with grandstand events each night. Among the grandstand events includes a rodeo, a tractor pull, a monster truck show, and a demolition derby. More information is available online at chautauquacofair.org

“We always divvy up the fair into thirds — the animal barns, the Midway rides, and the grandstand events. I think they are all excellent,” Wilson said. “I encourage everybody to come see what we’ve got. I’m sure there’s something here for everyone.”