Crowds gather at the 4-H Club’s annual meat market sale.

Despite the lack of a county fair this year, Chautauqua residents still clamored to the fairgrounds on what would have been the week of the fair for some good eats.

Nancy’s Gyros and Pitas, Fain’s Sugar Waffles, Hick’s Steak Hoagies, Taylor’s Lemonade and Popcorn, Goode’s Beef on Weck and Merritt’s Winery joined together to feed the masses of those who missed having a fair this year.

“I think it’s better having a regular fair than this one, I mean the kids enjoy it,” visitor Danielle Gugino shared.

“I think it’s cool, it’s not bad,” another visitor, Derrick Burns added.

Dawn Edwards, an employee for Goode’s Restaurant manning the Beef of Weck truck noted that the business had been “fabulous. We’re very pleased with the turn out, it’s been very nice, every day has been a great day for us.”

In the shadow of the vendors a much larger event was taking place, the 4-H club’s Annual Meat Sale, where 125 animals in five different species were being auctioned off.

“The crowds have come out and they’re putting their support behind the kids,” 4-H Board Member Matt Harper told the OBSERVER Saturday. “The kids have loved it, after having a year away last year and then coming back this year, participation numbers were down a little bit because of the unexpected, but the kids that are here have brought tremendous quality and they’ve had an awesome time at the fairgrounds.

Meat at the sale held strong, going for as much as $7 a pound in some cases.

The Chautauqua County Fair is expected to resume its normal happenings again in 2022.