Rain is a minor problem

Thursday, August 14, 2008 12:29 PM CDT

The 121st annual Dodge County Fair kicks off its five day run with a variety of attractions Wednesday. Above, grandstand headliner Jason Aldean performs for a large opening night crowd. (JOHN HART/Daily Times)

BEAVER DAM - The skies were ever changing over the Dodge County Fairgrounds Wednesday as the 121st annual fair got under way.

The Dodge County skies, not the “Amarillo Sky” main stage entertainer Jason Aldean sang about later in the evening, went from sunshine to rain clouds, to rainbows, to moon beams.

The rains held off at the fairgrounds east of Beaver Dam until late afternoon when a shower with some thunder rolled through the area. The grounds were wet for a time, but not enough to curtail any activities. A rainbow could been seen in the distance.

Shortly before Aldean addressed the crowd from the main stage, another round of showers blanketed the grounds, causing people to take shelter in area buildings and barns. But the weather held off for Aldean to complete his 75-minute performance including his hits of “Amarillo Sky” and “Hicktown,” along with three encores. By the end of his performance, the moon was peeking out behind the clouds.

“We have a very good crowd,” fair board member Doug Ninmann said outside the fair office Wednesday night. “I think the rain held the crowd back a little bit,” he added. But it was still a good crowd for the opening of the fair, he added.

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“It is not a Toby Keith night (referring to a couple of years ago when the fair had a big crowd for the entertainer), but it is a good crowd,” Ninmann said.

The audience was a mixture of young and old people, Ninmann said, but mostly the younger crowd, he said. “The younger entertainers bring in the younger crowd. “

And tonight's main stage entertainer, Miranda Lambert, will also bring in the younger audience for country music. Lambert is set to perform at 8 o'clock tonight.

Both Lambert and rock legend Ted Nugent, who is set to perform at 8 p.m. Friday, are expected to draw a crowd to the fair. “I hope Ted is the bigger show because I like Ted's music better,” Ninmann said.

Another young country entertainer, Craig Morgan, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday.

There were no major problems reported during the first day of the fair, Ninmann said. A couple of vehicles became stuck in the track area of the field due to the muddy conditions and two fair patrons locked their keys in their vehicles during the day, he said. “We also had two lost parents, not the children,” he said. “It was a pretty uneventful day for the most part,” he added.