“Just to see the youngsters coming in with the smiles, that’s what it’s all about,” he said.

After a year away, people were eager to return to the Houghton County Fair, which returned with a full lineup of rides, entertainment, competitions and more.

Thursday was a record-setting night for the fair, said board vice president Rick Freeman. After a rain-driven slump Friday, people had returned in force Saturday, Freeman said prior to a brief downpour Saturday night.

“I think people are just anxious to get out and go to the fair because we missed last year,” he said. Because of COVID, all events last year were cancelled with the exception of the livestock auction and drive-up fair food.

Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette Alyssa Powers, 6, of Lake Linden, sits on Terminal Velocity, one of the monster trucks competing Saturday night at the Houghton County Fair.

Fair members had been excited all year planning for the full event, Freeman said.

“Of course, we were on pins and needles waiting to see what the health department wanted to do,” he said. “As it got to fair time, it seemed like everything was pretty much back to normal.”

Masks were available at the front office for people who wanted them, and hand sanitizer stations were spread throughout.

A number of acts had originally been booked for 2020’s fair, including the Zuzu African Dancers, who wowed crowds in the Houghton County arena with a variety of flips and perfectly balanced aerial formations.

They also included the monster trucks, a staple of the Saturday night lineup. Families could come down to the pit an hour beforehand to see the trucks close up. Warren Powers of Lake Linden hoisted his kids one by one for a turn sitting on the wheel.

“It’s just nice to be able to do stuff again,” he said. “I think I appreciate it more than I have in the past.”