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Cooler temps precede fairs start
11-day festival begins Thursday
Fair cover
See Sunday's Forsyth County News for a special guide to the annual fair.
As far as Dave Horton is concerned, the arrival of fall is the perfect way to welcome the 16th annual Cumming Country Fair & Festival.

“I hope we’ll have a continuation of this weather where it’s cooler in the morning and in the evenings and mostly dry,” said Horton, fairgrounds administrator. “I think we’ll have a good turnout at the fair if the weather cooperates.”

The 11-day fair opens Thursday and runs through Oct. 17.

Cumming Mayor H. Ford Gravitt said he’s “always excited about the fair.”

“We’ve got entertainment for this year that we think everybody will enjoy,” he said. “We’ll have something for everybody.”

The entertainment includes, among others, Little Texas, Colt Ford and Tanya Tucker. The fair also features more than 40 rides and games.

“You’ve got rides that are for all ages and for the very bold and very meek,” Horton said. “You’ve got rides that’ll spin and go upside down and everything else.

“It’s just something the whole family can do together.”

Ground acts feature fan favorites as well as a few new tricks, like K9s in Flight, a combination show of high-flying Frisbee dogs and dock dogs.

Also new to the fair this year is Wildlife Wendy’s Tropical Birds and the Bear Mountain wildlife show.

Horton said the fair is the highlight of the year for the fairgrounds and community. It’s a lot of work, he said, but it’s “still a lot of fun.”

Gravitt tries to spend every day at the fair, meeting up with residents and old friends.

“The community, they enjoy having the fair every year,” the mayor said. “We have a lot of support from the community. It’s kind of a tradition.”