Fentress Fair Named State Champion Among Single-A Fairs

The Fentress County Fair takes home a state champion title from the Tennessee Association of Fairs.

Fentress County Fair Secretary-Treasurer Cindy Smith said the single-A division award a result of recently-added features including new events, a stage, and a pavilion. Smith said the award is a large boost of morale for the whole Fentress community.

“Our community gets behind our fair every year, and just, we have the best volunteers,” Smith said. “And our spectators, people that come out, and then the people that sponsor our fair. It’s just a community thing. This is nothing that – it’s not ever individual that’s making it happen. It’s just such a great group of people that’s coming together to make it work for us.”

Smith said winners are chosen by a merit awards committee after judges visit the fairgrounds and write reports detailing their quality. Smith said this year will be the one-hundredth year of the Fentress County Fair.

She said other improvements to the grounds included changes to the office and the laying out of new gravel in certain areas.

“Lots of things that you feel like is just a given,” Smith said. “But when the ground sits there year after year, those things have to be done to keep it in a safe environment for the people that we bring to our grounds.”

Smith said the fair has won the award multiple times in the past, but this means a lot as it happens as attendance has increased.

“Our numbers was up at the gate,” Smith said. “Our numbers was up in exhibits that was entered into the fair for like, you know, like the crops department. Our livestock departments were up, and we’re working at making those and building those higher.”

“We try to make sure that it’s everybody’s award, not just an individual award, you know?”