By By ERIKA PICKLES / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Carnival rides, delicious food, friendly animals and games seem to be the most popular events, according to visitors of the Berrien County Youth Fair.
This year marked the 62nd year for the fair, which also featured a circus, bull riding, a performance by SHeDAISY and Tracy Lawrence and a demolition derby, which will take place tonight at 7 p.m.
With so many things to do and see, it was clear that the Berrien County Fair is a favorite among everyone.
Chris Bryant admitted she makes a trip to Berrien Springs every year just for the fair.
"We are from Portage, originally from Dowagiac, and I still come here every year. It's my favorite. I think it's one of the nicest and most clean fairs around," Chris said.
She was joined by her two children, Clarice and Dante, who said their favorite part of the fair is the rides.
"I liked the toboggans. They go sideways real quick and it's hard to hold on. It's super fast and so was the Caterpillar, a rollercoaster," Dante said.
"My favorite ride was the motorcycles and the boats," Clarice added.
Nathan Higgins of Coloma said he enjoys the fair because he likes walking through all of the barns.
"I really like the animals. I'm here today with my cousin and sister and we have been riding rides and just looking at what different kinds of animals are here. It's been a lot of fun so far. And now I'm golfing," he said.
Higgins was testing his hand at putt putt golf. Surprisingly, the game wasn't a carnival one. Instead, the golf course was inside one of the swine barns. There were six holes in total, with each hole giving different instructions for how to take care of pigs.
Josh Money of Buchanan enjoys the fair for one reason, "showing the animals." He has been showing at the fair for four years now, and each year he seems to be adding more animals to his list.
"I show rabbits, steer, goats and pigs," Money explained.
Money had just taken fourth place in showmanship for his pig and said he would like to continue to show each year and maybe keep adding a few more animals. "It's a lot of work," he added.