OTHELLO – Folks who have lived here for some time say it never rains during the Adams County Fair, but it did Saturday.

“Well, it has rained the week of the fair, but not during the fair,” longtime Othello resident Debbie Haworth said.

Because of the morning rain, the bed and wheelbarrow races scheduled for 9 a.m. were canceled. But the rain stopped at 9:30 and didn’t hinder parade participants or spectators.

“My husband told me the rain was going to stop a half-hour before the parade,” Debbie said.

And it did. Debbie’s husband works in mosquito control. He’s an avid weather watcher because weather conditions affect the effectiveness of his spraying.

Intending to participate in the bed races, Debbie showed up at the city hall complex at about 8:30. She and several others waited until 8:45, when the races were called off.

There was no rain during the parade, but the ominous clouds kept many away. Several folks in the city hall area said the crowd was smaller than usual.

The people who did attend came well wrapped. Some even used the hoodies on their jackets and sweatshirts.

At noon time, the attendance at the fair was down but, as the weather warmed, the crowds grew.

Debbie, whose husband Tom heads up the LDS-sponsored Cub Scout (troops 801, 802, 803, 804) booth, said there was about a regular Saturday night crowd. Despite the coolness, they sold 175 pounds of ice cream and probably 1,000 or more each of pig ears and elephant ears.

Debbie didn’t know what those counts were exactly, but people were still buying as midnight neared.

“Once they eat dinner, then they want elephant ears, and then they want this and they want that,” Debbie said.