Food, Rides, and Fun Bring Public Back to This Year’s Crow Wing County Fair

Each summer, members of the Brainerd Lakes Area look forward to one of the largest events of the year: the Crow Wing County Fair.

“The Crow Wing County Fair is an event that goes on for five days, we average about 80,000 people over the five days, which is a good crowd,” said Sharron Ryappy, the Crow Wing County Fair Board President.

“It’s like the one time of the year that all the counties come to town and it’s just really fun,” said fair attendee Brooke.

The event features a number of events and attractions, such as carnival rides, live art demonstrations, and a variety of vendors.

“There’s really no barriers to come [to the fair],” said Crow Wing Energized Community Health Specialist Karen Johnson. “There’s a ton of vendors, I just literally walked to one end of the fair and back.”

Of course, there’s one aspect almost everyone can look forward to: the food.

“We have vendors from every place you can think of,” said Ryappy. “From Chinese to fried pickles to tacos.”

While the fair is known for its variety of fair foods, one presentation on Thursday, August 3rd involved vegetables and encouraging healthy eating. Specifically, it an event hosted by Crow Wing Energized where folks could vote for the 2024 Vegetable of the Year through the One Vegetable, One Community initiative.

“Voting actually starts now at the fair,” said Johnson. “You can go ahead and vote at our booth, which is in the Crow Wing County building.”

Whether the draw is the food, the animals, or finding out what 2024’s vegetable will be, year after year, the Crow Wing County Fair seems to have something for everyone.

The Crow Wing County Fair will continue through Saturday, August 5th. A schedule of events can be found at their website.