BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY — Summertime in Indiana is prime time for county fairs, and this week, the Bartholomew County 4-H Fair is in the middle of a heat wave.
"I don't ever remember it being this hot!" exclaimed Claudia Sims, a member of the Fair Board.
"When you run into anybody, the first topic is heat," said Ryan Lienhoop, an 8-year 4-H member. "We're still having a good time out here. Everything is about the same. You're just sweating a little bit more."
The fair has made some changes this week since they are operating while under a heat advisory. The heat isn't stopping 4-H members like Lienhoop from having the best fair week.
Lienhoop was in the middle of getting his pigs ready for the barrow show.
"Hosing 'em down is super nice in this heat. They love it in here," he explained as he gave one of his pigs a bath. "Especially him, he likes to play in the water."
The pig he was rinsing was splashing the water off the concrete with his snout and licking up some of the water.
Lienhoop also showed off his spray bottle, which is helpful to keep the pigs cool.
"Obviously, we have so much air flow in the barn because of all the fans," Lienhoop described. "My pigs are pretty lazy. They'll lay there and be cool."
Keeping animals and people cool during fair week is a top concern for the Fair Board this week. They have made some changes to keep everyone safe.
"We actually did move up check-in times, so animals were off the trailers and settled in before it was really heated up," Sims explained.
Sims also mentioned that the Fair Board was changing some fair events to move them indoors into air conditioning when possible, but no events have been canceled at this year's fair because of the heat.
Outside of the air-conditioned buildings, there are several fans across the fairgrounds, including a few fans with misters in them for people to cool down.
The county's show pavilion is air conditioned, meaning the people and animals in that day's contests will stay cool while being judged.
Areas with shade were popular, as were the vendors with cool treats.
Andy Hunnicutt was volunteering at the Special Olympics Indiana stand, which was serving cold iced tea.
"I can't tell you which one's most popular," Hunnicutt started explaining the different tea flavors. "As long as they're cold, they're all getting drunk rather quickly."
Another long line was forming outside the snow cone stand.
Both vendors and Fair Board members explained that attendance at the fair was down this week because of the heat.
Sims explained that even with the heat, the fair is going on, because it is a time to celebrate the 4-H members.
"Fair week is the best week of the whole year," Sims stated. "It's the time to really show off all the hard work that all of our 4-Hers have put into their projects."
The fair runs through Saturday, June 28. If you are heading to the fair, stay hydrated, take breaks in the shade or air conditioning, and consider bringing a personal fan to help stay cool, as the heat will continue into the weekend.
