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Attendees of the Putnam County Fair win big Saturday after bursting balloons with darts. -
The Tornado whirls fair-goers through dizzying circles on Saturday, the second day of the fair. The Putnam County Fair will continue through the evening of March 26. -
Zoe the sea lion embraces her trainer, James Earhart, on Saturday as part of one of many attractions at the Putnam County Fair. -
Some Putnam County Fair attendees spin on one of the rides while others wait in line on Sunday, the third day of the fair. -
Positively Putnam FL
EAST PALATKA – Zoe the sea lion flopped across the stage and splashed into a tank of water, retrieving the basketball that her handler, James Earhart, had just thrown.
Balancing the ball on the tip of her nose, Zoe climbed back onto the stage, then pushed her body off the ground with her flippers, arced her tail upwards and posed in a slippery, black C shape for the crowd of Putnam County fairgoers.
They cheered.
The Putnam County Fair is back until March 26, and as admission numbers soar, organizers, vendors and sea lion trainers alike are thrilled to share their passions with residents.
Earhart, who lives in Texas, said that Putnam County offers a welcome stop on his cross-country fair circuit – though the work of training the two sea lions he keeps in a tank in the back of his tractor-trailer continues.
“It never ends,” Earhart said.
J.R. Newbold, the chairman of the Putnam County Fair’s board, is “very excited” about this year’s turnout. Admission numbers for the first three days of the fair jumped 46% compared to 2021: 11,214 compared to 7,672. If the weather holds, Newbold said this puts the fair on track to have its highest attendance ever.
“Keep your fingers crossed and pray for good weather,” Newbold said.
There’s a reason that vendors and residents return to this fair year after year.
Ruskin-based Siegrid LaFratta has run her cotton candy stand at the Putnam County Fair for 46 years and hopes the next generation will carry on the torch when she retires. What keeps bringing her back, she said, is the people.
“The difference is the people you work with, the families you get to meet,” LaFratta said.
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