Fall Fair has new features

The 39th annual Columbia County Fall Fair opens Thursday, and fair officials have added a few different attractions to this year's midway menu.

"We're trying to give everybody a little something different instead of the same old things all the time," said Mike Zapata, the president of the Merchants Association of Columbia County, the fair's sponsor.

Special events at this year's fair include Wesley King's working saw mill, soap-making by Don DeClue and Kevin Brown sculpting wood with a chain saw.

Zapata said his group adds different attractions with the aim of having no two years alike. This year's fair will feature nightly musical entertainment, a circus complete with tightrope walkers and animal acts. A man also will be launched from a 35-foot cannon twice a night and three times on the weekends.

After Drew Exposition's success with the 2003 midway, the local company will return this year. It will offer a new ride imported from Italy - the Rocking Tugboat, said Pam Randall, the Merchants Association's secretary and treasurer.

The fair, at the fairgrounds on Columbia Road across from Patriots Park, runs Thursday to Nov. 13. Gate admission costs $5. Unlimited ride tickets are available Sunday through Nov. 11 for $10. For information, call 210-3603.