Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette The mud bog was one of the main events of the Baraga County Fair. Drivers tried their best to cross a mud pit as quickly as possible, if they could cross it at all.

PELKIE — The Baraga County Fair was held over the weekend at the fairgrounds, in Pelkie and continues to grow in size. A record number of vendors were involved in this year’s fair along with more activities for children along with a plethora of food stands for fairgoers to enjoy. The fair indeed had something for just about everyone, with activities and entertainment, such as a mud bog and a pony pull, that are generally associated with the rural lifestyle.

The fair opened Friday with the Fair Queen competition, which crowned Cassie Kujansuu. Kujansuu is active in the community and volunteers for church events, flu shot clinics and blood drives. In addition she received the William Harvey outstanding citizen award at L’Anse High School. Another feature Friday was the Tough Mudder, an obstacle course taking place in a number of mud pits.

There were several events on Saturday and in between them, fairgoers had plenty to do thanks to farm animals waiting to be petted, and free carnival games and bouncy houses from Double Trouble Entertainment from Marquette. The carnival games, built by the Grentz family, were a new addition to the fair, and made possible through donations from local businesses. Several fairgoers and vendors pointed out how much larger the fair has become in the last couple of years, and they often attribute it to Baraga County Fair Manager Robin Chosa.

Chosa returned for his second year as manager and said he and the fair board have been working constantly to pull it off. Chosa explained since there was more going on this year it was a little more hectic, but the increased activity resulted in more county residents getting involved. He said while activities such as art exhibits and eating competitions were not held this year, the fair has grown in other ways such as the carnival games and nearly 40 vendors.

“The more people we see, more people want to get involved, and that’s what I’m hoping for and hopefully next year we’ll get even bigger,” Chosa said. “This is my second year, and I’m still learning, and it’s been crazy, but it’s been fulfilling and it’s been a good time.”

Chosa emphasized the community participation is what creates the fair, and pointed out Baraga County actually has a variety of people bringing it together. “It’s Baraga County. There’s a lot of difference from Pelkie to Baraga to L’Anse to Zeba to Skanee to Arvon … and it seems like all of them (communities) are coming together, and we’re having a good time this weekend. There’s plenty of farms out here and that’s a community I’ve been getting to know lately. These are hardy people. It’s a different demographic and they’re amazing and a lot of the stuff they do around here is volunteer driven,” Chosa said.

The carnival area had more than just games going on, with a cider press demonstration and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) fisheries offering a chance to catch a rainbow trout at its pop-up fish pond.

Another activity was the dunk tank run by the Baraga County Shelter Home. Shelter Home Outreach Coordinator Holly Ladd said the group was at the fair to raise funds to go towards resources in supporting survivors of domestic violence. Fairgoers could spend $5 to get five tries at hitting the target with a ball to drop a volunteer into the water. There were also brochures and explaining the resources available from the Shelter Home. “This is our hometown community,” Ladd said. “So we would like to not only raise the awareness, but also give back to our community.”

Ladd said she was proud to be a part of the fair which has become busier than she remembered. She pointed out the variety of food available, including many local bakers. Among them was Jaylyne Lindemann of Homemade Haven, a self-serve bakery stand located in Skanee. Usually Lindemann sells baked goods on the honor system, though at the fair she was able to meet those buying her goods face to face. “The fair is probably one of the biggest it’s been in a long time,” Lindemann said. “It got really small for a while, so it’s nice to see all the people out here. I’ve had a lot of people really interested in seeing my muffins and lots of my flavored sourdough breads.” Lindemann said she sold out of many items in the first few hours of the fair.

One of the day’s main events was the mud bog. A large mud pit offered participants a shot at driving their vehicles as fast as they could across the pit, unless it became stuck and had to be towed. A large audience gathered and cheered on the drivers as the engine roars could be heard across the fairgrounds.

Live music and a magic show were on tap at the entertainment building and in the evening the fair had its first movie showing. On Sunday the fair concluded with an off road derby and a free ice cream social. While many people said they were happy to see the fair expand, Chosa said he wants to see it keep growing.

“This whole fair is put together by donations and volunteers,” Chosa said. “And I just encourage anybody and everybody to come on be part of the fair. I mean, I grew up on a reservation. I’m a Native American. What do I know about farming? We’re hunter gatherers. But me being able to come out here and meet all these people– these farmhands, the horse handlers, the farmers. Everybody is walking around to come out here and get together. So I’m hoping just a big, big melting pot of people come around. A lot of my cousins come out here and they’re starting to vend along with my aunties over here.”