HANCOCK COUNTY, Ohio —
The Hancock County Fair started Tuesday, drawing people from all over to show livestock and participate in the usual fair activities.
With the high temperatures this week, a priority is to make sure the only heat their animals are feeling is from the competition.
There are people monitoring the different animal areas and fans everywhere, but it's up to the competitors to take care of their animals.
For the cattle and horses, competitors are working to keep them in the shade when possible with cold, fresh water.
Caroline Bryan is one of those competitors and will be showing cattle throughout the week.
"We just fill their waters up multiple times," Bryan said. "We've got fans on them. We take them out to the wash rack, hose them down so they stay pretty cool."
Aubrey Dukes is showing her horse JD throughout the week.
"I keep fresh water buckets in his stall," Dukes said. "Make sure it's cold and there's nothing in it. We have a big industrial fan on him to keep cool."
There are fans set up by the fair in the tents and barns, but people are bringing their own to keep the animals cool.
Other competitors are coming up with creative solutions to keep their animals cold.
Makayla Hull is showing chickens at the fair, and said she put sugar in her chickens' water.
"Sometimes people will put a little sugar or like electrolytes, or some people even put Kool-Aid in just to get their animals to drink more water when it's hot," Hull said.
Emmalee Weber is showing chickens and rabbits throughout the week.
Weber said she is putting frozen water bottles in her chickens' cages to keep them from overheating, which is a concern as she said there are some chickens at the fair who had died from the heat.
Her technique is similar to the water bottle for the rabbits.
"We have granite rocks that we put in a cooler to cool them down," Weber said.
She said the rocks go into the cages and are refreshing for the animals.
Although the heat is sticking around for a few days, competitors said they are feeling good and ready for a full week of competing.
The fair is happening until Sept. 2, and there are different bands and shows planned throughout the week. Check out more information at hancockfairgrounds.org.
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