The 67th annual Monroe County Fair is in the books, and another year of family and farm fun was enjoyed by all.

“It was a very successful fair. We had great attendance, exciting events and very nice weather,” Monroe County Fair Association Secretary George Obernagel said.

While gate receipts were down slightly from the record attendance experienced in 2012 and 2013, the Demolition Derby and Figure 8 races each drew strong attendance, and vehicle entries were up from last year,according to Obernagel.

To view more than 500 staff photos taken during fair week, visit: http://republictimes.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1828601&CategoryID=81767

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And the family friendly event lived up to its reputation. The Thursday carnival armband night drew hordes of children and parents to the fairgrounds, as did an appearance by a Budweiser Clydesdale and free concert performed by Butch Wax and the Hollywoods.

The livestock shows and livestock auction were also well attended, with the FFA and 4-H livestock auction raising $163,568 for local programs, according to University of Illinois Extension Director Pam Jacobs. This amount was down just slightly from previous years.

Winning this year’s Farm Family Trophy was Ray and Julie Henerfauth and their children, Logan, Leah and Lydia, for their number of exhibits and placings as a family.

The truck and tractor pull events on Monday, Tuesday and Saturday night were also well attended, Obernagel added. Waterloo Police Chief Jim Trantham reported only a couple of minor skirmishes at the fairgrounds during fair week with six citations issued for minor violations.

The week-long event was capped off by an FFA Fun Night that saw the Columbia FFA walk away with the victory. In only its second year, Columbia knocked off perennial power-house FFA programs from Waterloo, Valmeyer and Red Bud, and also edged out fellow sophomore team Gibault. “Thanks again to all the volunteers who make our fair one of the best in the state,” Obernagel said. For information on next year’s fair once it becomes available, visit online at www.MonroeCounty-Fair.org.

<strong>Check out our video of the sights and sounds of the 2014 Monroe County Fair!</strong>

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