This little superhero joined in the costume contest at the Fairfax Fair.

Little Miss Fairfax Wendy Hurst had her wave down to include both sides of the parade route.

Little Mr. Fairfax Trevelyan Hicks-Bolin waves to his fans during the Fairfax Fair Parade.

2018 Miss Fairfax Jaycee Graves was all smiles for the Fairfax Fair Parade.

Jr. Miss Fairfax Payton Woodring was part of the Fairfax Fair Royalty who participated in the parade.

Wonder Woman even made an appearance at the Fairfax Fair Parade. She looks strikingly familiar. She could be Betty Wennihan’s twin.

The 53rd annual Fairfax Fair was a great reminder to us all that “There is a Superhero inside all of us.” We should all strive to dig deep and help others and our small communities. With that theme in their minds, hundreds of people gathered in Fairfax, Missouri, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 11-13, 2018, to take part in this annual event.
Friday night’s festivities began with opening ceremonies a little after 6 p.m. on a stage beautifully decorated by Michelle Oswald and plants by KG Buds. Fairfax Legionnaires raised the flag with the help of local Boy Scouts and last year’s Little Mr. and Miss Fairfax, Mackenzie Oswald and Alex Wintz, as well as other children, led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. Knox Oswald gave the blessing and 2018 Miss Fairfax Katy Baker sang the “Star Spangled Banner.” Fairfax Mayor Ryan Kingery welcomed all to the Fairfax Fair.
The baby show had adorable tiny tots and their doting parents and grandparents lining up on the stage. Babies and youth from birth to four years of age were showcased, and they were oh so adorable.
Those competing in the Little Mr. and Miss Fairfax Contest were each asked a question and then judges picked the two winners. The judge’s had a tough decision to make, but ultimately, Trevelyan Hicks-Bolin was selected as Little Mr. Fairfax and Wendy Hurst was selected as Little Miss Fairfax.
The queen contest was emceed by Devon Sons, with Katrina Lock, Ashley Mayall, and Brittany Teel as judges. Payton Woodring was the only contestant for the Junior Miss Fairfax competition, so following a question and answer session and her talent portion (reciting her award-winning essay on how she can promote Americanism within her school and community), Payton was crowned Junior Miss Fairfax. This year’s Miss Fairfax contestants included Gena Mitchell, Jaycee Graves, Jesse Graves, McKenzie Frohn, and Olivia Morris. Each contestant was introduced and then showed off their talents. Gena Mitchell awed the crowd with her singing of Alison Krauss’ “When You Say Nothing At All.” McKenzie Frohn wowed the crowd by singing “Rolling in the Deep” by Adele. Attendees enjoyed a nice instrumental performance by Jesse Graves on the timpani, accompanied by Suzanne Southard. Jaycee Graves showed off her writing and reciting talents with her poem “My Town.” Olivia Morris beautifully sang “Love Triangle” by RaeLynn. The girls then randomly selected a question from Emcee Sons. Organizers Jill Kingery and Kris Umbarger talked about the contest, which was turned into a service scholarship award last year. The winner is required to provide 25 hours of community service and attend community organization meetings. She will receive a $1,000 scholarship upon her graduation. 2017 Miss Fairfax Katy Baker described her experience as queen over the past year. Finally, the judges announced the winners. Gena Mitchell was chosen as “Miss Congeniality.” Olivia Morris was the 1st runner-up. Jaycee Graves was crowned Miss Fairfax. Jaycee was serenaded by Tim McFarland, who sang the Miss Fairfax version of Miss America’s song, while she was crowned and wrapped in a green cloak by last year’s Miss Fairfax Katy Baker. Little Mr. and Miss Fairfax, Junior Miss Fairfax, Miss Congeniality, 1st Runner-Up, and Miss Fairfax all rode in the Fairfax Fair Parade on Saturday.
A Best-Dressed Superhero Contest was also held during the fair. A youth dance on the park slab rounded out each night’s festivities.
Before the parade began on Saturday, Harry Combs’ old time tractor reunion was held in the parking lot of the old hospital site on Main Street. Tractors and farm machinery of all ages, shapes and sizes were displayed and many were driven in the parade.
The parade is one of the highlights of the fair weekend and paradegoers were lined up the entire length of Main Street waiting to see all the sights and sounds and to pick up as much candy as possible. The parade was led by legionnaires, followed by the Fairfax Marching Pride, and also included emergency vehicles, Shriners’ horses, buggies, and cars, antique and classic cars and trucks, floats, ATVs, tractors, farm trucks, semis, and wagons. The Optimist Club members threw out ping pong balls from their float and the lucky recipients were able to turn in their ping pong balls at the park for a prize.
The park was full of game, food, and organization booths and many people enjoyed stopping at each one both Friday and Saturday. Saturday night entertainment included the East Atchison jr. high and high school cheerleaders, the Southeast Nebraska Community Band, Mic-O-Say Tribe dancers, and performances by Erica Taylor, The Baptist Trio (Deanna Beck, Julie Koop, and Tiffany Miller), Darius Skillen, Josie Watkins, and Clint Dougherty. The night’s events were emceed by Bill Slaughter, who also handed out raffle prizes sponsored by various organizations.
Sunday dawned with the Fairfax Ministerial Alliance holding a community church service, followed by a dinner at the Fairfax Community Room sponsored by the After Prom Committee. All in all it was a beautiful weekend and a beautiful example of the blessings of small town living.

At top: If you are a kid, all you need is a balloon to have a good time. These two youngsters, Zailynn Cook and Addy Giddinge, are full of laughter as they run around with a balloon during the fair.