The Madison County Fair has been held through good years and bad, rain or shine, for 173 years. Our Andrew Sorensen tells us about the county traditions that have survived the years.

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BROOKFIELD, N.Y.-- The pouring rain didn't send many people home from the Madison County Fair on Sunday. Maybe it's because after 173 years, the fair's tradition is as ingrained as a tractor stuck in the mud.

"We're one of the oldest county fairs in the country that's still running. We've been at our current location for over 150 years," said Joshua Walker, Madison County Fair Vice President.

"I'm from this area and I've been doing it for close to twenty years, running the scales," said Jackie Rogers, a long-time volunteer.

Rogers even used to bring her late significant other as an extra volunteer for the tractor pull weigh-ins. He was honored Sunday for his years of service to the fair.

"Bob and I met fifteen years ago and I brought him in on it. He enjoyed it, and it was just part of our lives," Rogers explained.

It's easy to let it become a part of your life when they have something for every stage of life.
Whether you're riding the horse on the carousel or you've graduated to a real one, the fair works to have events that are both traditional and family friendly.

"My parents grew up on dairy farms and they wanted to teach us responsibility. So they started us out with chickens and rabbits and then from there we got into dairy goats and then we got into showing cows," Youth Show Reserve Junior Champion Logan Stoltman said.

The fair can be just as educational as it is fun.

"I like making new friends through showing animals and also it's really fun just to walk in the ring with an animal and say look what I've done," Stoltman said.

And they have done well, having year after year to perfect the craft of the fair.