What could've been a washout looks to be a winner

Fairgoers enjoy a high-speed swing ride at the Rochester Fair this weekend. (Harrison Thorp photos)

ROCHESTER - Three days into the Rochester Fair and fair manager Mark Perry has already seen his share of “drama.”

“There’s always drama around here,” he said on Sunday afternoon as he stood in his headquarters building at the Lafayette Street entrance and fielded questions and concerns over various and sundry crises from vendors, entertainment acts and fairgoers, themselves.

THREE HAMS IN A JAM: Notorious P-I-G, right, uses the inside track to overtake Justin 'Bacon" Bieber and Taylor Swine en route to his win during his race in the Pig Racing event put on by Circus Hollywood at the Rochester Fair on Sunday. Notorious P-I-G has never lost a race, the race caller said.

But Perry took a minute to pay homage to his and Fiesta Shows’ teams who averted disaster on Friday after a deluge of rain soaked the fairgrounds.

 “The staff did a great job,” he said. “Fiesta Shows brought in some high speed pumps and we got it going.”

Perry said there was as much as two feet of water puddled in spots throughout the 58-acre fairgrounds and it was a monumental task to pull it off.

He said the hard work was a testament to the dedication of fair workers who take pride in their ability to overcome.

“A lot of fairs couldn’t have pulled that off,” he said. “We were open Friday, not 100 percent, but we were open.”

Perry said it appeared fairgoers were very happy with the entertainment he’d brought in, especially the Chainsaw Chix, who carve sculptures from white pine using chainsaws in a show that lasts about an hour; and the School Bus Demo, in which a half-dozen school buses try to batter each other into submission.

The Chainsaw Chix continue daily performances throughout the fair, which ends Sunday. The School Bus demo will run again on Saturday.

Free entry to the fairgrounds between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. begins today and continues through Friday.

The midway won’t be open, but guests can tour the livestock and exhibition halls and enjoy the carnival’s many food options.