By CELESTE BAUMGARTNER
Ohio Correspondent

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. — After almost 30 years without a Pickett County Fair, two years ago the newly reorganized Pickett County Horsemen’s Assoc. decided the time had come.

The horsemen’s association opened their grounds for the event. Member Steve Reagan got the ball rolling when he found a man to run the midway.

“Our goal with the horsemen’s association is to be a positive influence to the community,” Reagan said.

Pickett County is a small community of less than 5,000 people. It’s the smallest county in the state in terms of population. The unemployment rate is currently at 18 percent.

Much of the farmland was swallowed up when Dale Hollow Lake was built - but no one is complaining. The lake brings lots of tourists to town. Reagan hopes if they’re in town this August they’ll visit the fair after a day on the lake.

“We’re having a truck pull, Quarter Horse, (Tennessee) Walking Horse, saddle horse shows, a motorcycle rodeo, truck and tractor pulls, trail rides and a mule show,” Reagan said. “It’s an agricultural fair; all of the crops grown around here will be on display.”

On the first night, the queen is elected in the “Fairest of the Fair” competition.

Before the return of the county fair in 2008, the county held a youth fair, said Richard Daniel, county extension agent.

“We had the biggest youth fair in the upper Cumberland for vegetables, crops, craft items,” Daniel said. “When the group started the fair, we combined that with the county fair. We have about 255 4-H kids in the county.”

The youth fair also has a goat and pet show. The county has a large heifer project. So far they have not been shown at the fair but Daniel hopes that will happen sometime in the future.

The premiums for 4-H kids are paid for by county government. The horsemen’s association invests the gate receipts back into the fair. “We’ve been real pleased with the turnout,” Daniel said. “It’s been a good thing for the county.”