Thanks extended to sup­porters of county fair

On behalf of the board of trustees of the Middlesex County Fair Association, I would like to thank the volunteers, vendors, the Middlesex County Board of Freeholders and, most importantly, the fairgoers who helped make this year’s Middlesex County Fair a success. While Mother Nature certainly gave us a run for our money during fair week, the intermittent rains were not enough to dampen the spirits of those who put on the fair, and those who attended it.

In addition, thanks to all of the local area charities that participated in the weeklong Charity Challenge. A record 28 charities participated with the winning charity, The Beez Foundation which supports the fight against pediatric brain cancer, receiving more than $1,000 in donations during the week from the fair attendees. In fact, four of the charities received more than $200 each, an amount greater than what last year’s winning charity received. The generosity of our fairgoers is very commendable.

I also hope everyone who attended the fair had a chance to see the home arts displays. This annual competition in areas such as needlework, photography, painting and many other categories offers the opportunity to see all the wonderful crafts created by area residents. As a first-time participant in the competition, I will proudly display my third-place ribbon in photography as I prepare for next year’s event.

As we plan for next year, I strongly encourage people to find out more about how they can be a part of the home arts festivals. Teachers especially can pass information along to their students in September about this annual event so they can get started early. The Middlesex County Fair’s Web site is Middlesex.rce.Rutgers.edu/fair for more information.

Finally, thanks to the Sentinel for publishing our pre-fair press releases informing the public about the event at this year’s fair, as well as the coverage provided during the week of the fair. We hope next year you can help us to get the word out even more.

The mandate of the Middlesex County Fair Association — a private not-for-profit organization — has always been to put on a fair of an educational nature that informs the public of the agricultural and industrial history and current interests in the county. I would personally add that it is a place to take the whole family for a day of fun and excitement. Between the food, rides, entertainment and exhibits, we provided it all this year, and we can’t wait to do it again next year.

Kirk A. Bonamici

Public relations director

Middlesex County

Fair Association