Photo courtesy of Danielle Schmidt: Four out of five generations of Beatrice’s Young’s family have been active participants in the Orleans County 4-H Fair.  They gathered here on opening day of the Orleans County 4-H Fair. Front row, from left, are Chantelle Blackburn (4th generation), her daughter Karsyn Blackburn (5th generation), Young (first generation) and Marsha Cook (3rd generation).  In back are 4th generation Hollee Cook and Leigha Kidney, both currently active 4-H members.

KNOWLESVILLE – Beatrice “Bea” Young got a surprise on opening day of the Orleans County 4-H Fair. When she arrived to watch her great-grandchildren show their animals, she learned they were going to take a family picture.

Four generations of Young’s family have been active in 4-H and most were all gathered for the picture. Only the second generation is not represented, as those children all chose to go into scouting, Young said.

Starting with Young, who showed pigs at the fair in the early 1950s, were Chantell Blackburn, Leigha Kidney and Hollee Cook, 4th generation members; Marsha Cook, third generation; and Karsyn Blackburn, 5th generation.

The family’s involvement in 4-H goes back to Young’s youth. She grew up on a farm on County House Road, the former Beatrice Axtell. She had two sisters and a brother Kenneth who was a 4-H leader.

Young and her husband Don had five children and lived on a farm, where they raised a variety of animals. She said 4-H provided a great opportunity for youth to not only learn, but to interact with their friends.

“Kids need a positive way to socialize,” she said.

On Monday morning, Young, 90, drove herself to the fair, expecting to watch the children show their animals.

“Marsha asked me if I wouldn’t like to see what the kids were doing,” Young said.

Cook is a volunteer camping coordinator.

Karsyn showed rabbits, while Hollee showed goats, chickens and rabbits and Leigha showed goats.

Chantelle showed rabbits, chickens, sheep, goats and beef cows.

The youth also had exhibits in the Trolley Building, Cook said.

Not pictured were a 4th generation cousin, Albert and Chantelle’s sister Kendyll, who showed cows, rabbits and goats. She will age out of 4-H this year, Young said.

Photos by Tom Rivers: A crowd gathered in the parking lot by the Education Center to watch a laser light show, which had a patriotic theme for the 250th anniversary of the United States. The laser show replaced fireworks on Friday night.

Daily: Agri-Puppet Farm Truck Strolling the Grounds

All day: Main event amusements $35 unlimited ride wristband with rides open 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. with scheduled closure from 5 to 6 p.m. at Midway

9 to 11 a.m. – 4-H Senior Council Stand breakfast hours  at 4-H Senior Council Stand

8 a.m. – Open Class Llama and Alpaca Show at Livestock Show Arena

9 a.m. – 4-H Gymkhana horse show at Carlos Marcello Arena

10 a.m. – Paid public admission begins at Taylor Hill Road parking lots, buildings open to the public

4-Hers dressed their goats up in costumes for a fun contest on Friday.

10 a.m. – Small Animal Grandmaster Showmanship Competition at Knights Building

10 a.m. – VE testing for ham radio at Education Center

10:30 a.m. – 4-H Fry Stand opens     at Fry Stand

11 a.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Paint Wars by the Junior Fair Committee at east end of Swine Barn

11 a.m. – Senior council 4-H food booth hamburgers, hots, and cold drinks at 4-H Senior Council Stand. Proceeds support teen award trips and programs.

11 a.m. – “Iron chef” 4-H youth cooking contest starts at Orleans Hub Stage

12 p.m. – “Iron chef” 4-H youth contest judging at Orleans Hub Stage

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Blacksmith demo at Beadle building

Robert Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Orleans County, gets drenched with a big bucket of cold water from 4-Hers Helen Schofield, left, and Kaylee Lasher, both of Holley. Batt drew a crowd of people who wanted to see him get wet in the dunk challenge on Friday.

1:30 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Dunk Bucket by the Junior Fair Committee at Tram Stop, featuring Aeddon Cayea, Community Programs leader for Orleans CCE, from 1:30 to 2 p.m. and then Steve Cooley, Medina fire chief, from 2 to 2:30 p.m.

2 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

2:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

4 p.m. – 4-H leaders’ homemade pie stand opens at Davis building

4 p.m. – Large Animal Grandmaster Showmanship at Livestock Show Arena

4 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

Bad Kitty performed rock, blues and country music on Friday night at the fair.

4:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

5 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

5 to 6 p.m. – Midway closed for dinner break at Midway

6 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

6:30 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event Dunk Bucket by the Junior Fair Committee at Tram Stop, featuring Bert Mathes, assistant fair manager, form 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Natalia Nauden, 8, of Brockport hit the target and got Kristin McAdoo wet in the dunk challenge. McAdoo, the deputy fire chief for Ridgeway, spent an hour in the cold seat on Friday evening.

6:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

6:30 p.m. – Small fry pedal tractor pull- registration ends 15 minutes before event. Located at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

6:30 p.m. – Bossy Bingo at Livestock Show Arena

7 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

7 p.m. – Empire State Wrestling at Orleans Hub Stage

7:30 p.m. – 4-H Herdsmanship, Family Consumer Science, and Royalty Awards at Livestock Arena

There were about 75 classic cars at the fair on Friday for the cruise in.

8 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Steampunk Costume Contest at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

8 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

8:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

9 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

10 p.m. – Bale Rolling Contest – teams of 1-2 ages 16 and up at Byron’s Bale Rolling Barnyard. Register at the fair office by 9:20 p.m. Immediately following qualifier, Hay Bale Rolling Contest for winners-only championship round.

10 p.m. Buildings close – goodnight fair        

Some kids enjoy the Flying Elephants midway ride on Friday night at the fair.

Asher Dix, 9, of Albion wins title with his mother in the top 5

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – Asher Dix (left), 9, of Albion gave a high-energy performance on Thursday night at the karaoke finals, and won first place and a $500 prize. Asher sang “I Want You Back” by the Jackson 5. He had the crowd cheering with his spin moves, exclamation points with his hands, and high-pitched notes.

His mother Brittany Dix (right) sang “Looking Out” by Brandi Carlile and won fourth place and $75. Brittany said her children all enjoy singing. Asher made his karaoke public debut on Monday and embraced the role as a showman.

Gideon Pask of Barre sings “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash. Gideon worked the stage and won second place for $250.

Olivia Manfredi (left) of Kendall won fifth place and $50 for her performance of “(If You’re Not in It For Love) I’m Outta Here” by Shania Twain. Manfredi, 31, has been performing in karaoke at the fair since she was a teen-ager, frequently placing in the top 5.

Tiana Mortensen, right, of Medina sings “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims. Mortensen, 33, works as the manager of the Dunkin’ Donuts in Medina. She said she hadn’t sung publicly for years until this week’s fair.

“It was a lot of fun,” she said about karaoke and seeing the audience’s enthusiastic reaction to her singing.

The competition is a popular event each night from the fair from Monday through Thursday. The top singers the first three nights advance to Thursday’s championship. Brad London serves as the deejay for the event.

Neil Samborski wore face paint while singing, “Monster Mash.” He was among 18 singers who advanced to Thursday nights finale.

Abby Pratt of Middleport sings “I’d Rather Be Me” from Mean Girls The Musical.

Madelyn Elliott (left) of Medina performs “Wide Open Spaces” by the Dixie Chicks. Colette Ruest sings “Party in the USA” by Miley Cyrus.

Phoebe Allen sings “At Last” by Etta James.

Frank “Boomer” Buell of Medina enjoyed interacting with the crowd while he performed “Slide” by the Goo Goo Dolls of Buffalo. Buell said he is from the Black Rock neighborhood of Buffalo and has long been a Goo Goo Dolls fan.

Photos by Tom Rivers

KNOWLESVILLE – The Orleans County 4-H Fair has added new events and challenges, and a race among inflatable costumed characters proved a big hit on Thursday night.

There were 17 characters in the first race with adults and older teens.

Rachel Livingston of Albion, who was dressed as a French Bulldog, was the first to dash across the horse arena.

The youth division was won by Isabella Tompkins, 6, of Olcott who wore an axolotl costume. Three adults joined her so she wasn’t by herself. One of those was her grandmother, Michelle Tompkins of Lockport, a former Medina resident. She raced as dairy cow.

Michelle Tompkins was speedy in the inflatable cow costume.

The participants make their way to the west side of the horse arena. They all brought their own costumes, and there was quite a variety of characters.

Peggy-Jo Gabalski lines up the characters and urges they to spread out by arm’s length.

These characters enjoy some pre-race banter before their sprint. There were people lined up around the fence at the horse arena.

Photos by Tom Rivers: A group of 17 inflatable costumed characters take off in the horse arena in a race that was won by Rachel Livingston of Albion, who was dressed as a French Bulldog. ‘I just ran as a fast as I could,” said Livingston, 31. She won 25 fair bucks.

8 a.m. – 4-H Ranch and Western Rail Horse Show at Carlos Marcello Arena

9 a.m. – Ag Olympics-4-H Members at east end of Swine Barn

9 to 11 a.m. – 4-H Senior Council Stand Breakfast Hours at 4-H Senior Council Stand

10 a.m. – 4-H Dog Show Agility and Fun Classes at Dog Show Tent

10:30 a.m. – 4-H Fry Stand Opens at Fry Stand

11 a.m. – Senior Council 4-H Food Booth Hamburgers, Hots, and Cold Drinks at 4-H Senior Council Stand. Proceeds support teen award trips and programs.

12 p.m. – Paid public admission begins at Taylor Hill Road Parking Lots. Buildings open to the public

These three sportsmen are in the log cabin at the fairgrounds. The log cabin is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It is a project of the Orleans County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs. From left include Jeff Atwell, Mike Elam and Chris Rice. They are shown next to Stella the Sturgeon, a fiberglass model of a 100-pound sturgeon. Elam said the sturgeon are making a comeback and he believes there are some again in Orleans County. The mounts of the Chinook salmon include a 35-pounder that Elam caught in September 1987 to win the Niagara County Derby and a 46-pound, 4-ounce Chinook caught in the Oak orchard Creek in October 1984. Elam said at the time it was the third largest Chinook caught in New York State.

12 p.m. to 10 p.m. – Blacksmith Demo at Beadle Building

1 p.m. – 4-H Cake Decorating Contest (for rules contact office) at Orleans Hub Stage

1:30 to 2:15 p.m. – Public Contest – Register at Event: Dunk Bucket by the Junior Fair Committee featuring Tom Rivers, editor of the Orleans Hub, and from 2:15 to 2:30 will feature Robertt Batt, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County. Located at Tram Stop by the bathrooms.

2 p.m. – Goat Obstacle, costume, and other fun classes at Knights Indoor Arena

2 p.m. – Sheep Obstacle, costume, and other fun classes at Livestock Show Arena

3 to 10 p.m. – Main Event Amusements $35 Unlimited Ride Wristband at Midway

4 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

4 p.m. – Royalty questionnaires due at Fair Office

Darren Roberts was 2 for 2 in hitting the target and getting Craig Basinait wet with a dunk bucket on Thursday evening.

4 p.m. – 4-H Leaders’ homemade pie stand opens

4:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

5 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

5:30 p.m. – Market Auction Preview at Livestock Areas

5:30 to 8 p.m. – Cruisin’ in Medina @ the fair. Classic and show car cruise in at Education Center Parking Lot. Enter off Wood Road.

6 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Pickle Eating Contest at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

Craig Basinait, a Fair Board member, was a popular draw in the dunk bucket challenge. His wife Dawn eagerly solicited participants to pay $1 a ball in the fundraiser for the Junior Fair Committee.

6 p.m. – 4-H Market Auction at Livestock Areas

6 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

6:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

6:30 to 7:30 p.m. – Dunk Tank by the Junior Fair Committee featuring Kristin McAdoo, deputy fire chief of Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company.

6:30 p.m. – Small fry pedal tractor pull- registration ends 15 minutes before event starts at JCH of Buffalo Food Court

7 to 10 p.m. – Live music with Bad Kitty at Orleans Hub Stage

7 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

Grace Masterson, 4, and her brother Luke, 5, of Fairport head down the giant slide at the Midway. They are the children of the former Chrissy Keeler of Albion.

7:30 p.m. – Public Contest- Register at Event: Stick Pony Rodeo at Knights Building

8 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Agri-Puppets the Farming Singing Puppets! at Cattle Barn Lawn

8:30 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Pompeyo’s Ranch- As seen on America’s Got Talent! at Knights Lawn

9 p.m. – Free Entertainment: Lew-e the Clown- a show full of Magic and Laughs! at Trolley Lawn

10 p.m. – Laser Light Show! at Education Center Parking Lot

10 p.m. – Building close-goodnight fair

10:15 p.m. – Hay bale rolling contest – teams of 1-2 ages 16 and up. Register at the fair office by 9:50 p.m. Located at Byron’s Bale Rolling Barnyard

Austin Seefeldt and Brennan Allen team to move an 800-pound hay bale through an obstacle course on Thursday night. They completed the challenge in 2 minutes and advanced to Saturday night’s championship.