MONROE - While some enjoyed the addition of a fireworks show on Wednesday night at the Green County Fair, others were busy wrangling cattle affected by the loud noise of the display.
Sponsored by All Around Amusements, the fireworks show began as the sun set after the rodeo show. That is when 18-year-old Marley Malkow said she heard the first bang and went running to the barns to tend to her Brown Swiss.
"They were cool from a non-ag person point of view, but as soon as I was about to leave the fairgrounds I had to run back," Malkow said. "My cow, usually she's as calm as can be, but she was trying to rip her collar off when I got there."
Not only was Malkow's show cow frantically trying to get away from the distressful sound, the showman said she saw a few more down the line doing the same. Malkow said other cows had managed to run away and were found by their caretakers in the show barn trotting around confused and scared.
"It was just a mass rush," Malkow said.
Malkow's mother Mary Davidson, who was at her residence between Albany and Monticello at the time of the fireworks show, said she could not only hear the booming of the display but that the noise frightened the family ducks in the backyard.
Other owners also complained that their animals reacted negatively within the fair barn stalls during the show.
Green County Fair Office Manager Stephanie Miranda said she knew some animals had been bothered by the noise because some owners had complained their animals had been "spooked" but said the show itself was a success among all the attendees and that the rodeo animals near the grandstand at the time had not been bothered. She added that a number of people remarked on how much they liked the show.
Green County board member Dusty Williams pointed to a number of people who approached him to say they were "the best fireworks they had ever seen." Williams said the fair obtained a permit for the show and had gained permission from residents who live near the fairgrounds to shoot off the fireworks. He added everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
"There were some negative comments, too, but that comes with everything," Williams said. "We did the best we could to provide the best performance. As far as I'm concerned, they did really well."
Sponsored by All Around Amusements, the fireworks show began as the sun set after the rodeo show. That is when 18-year-old Marley Malkow said she heard the first bang and went running to the barns to tend to her Brown Swiss.
"They were cool from a non-ag person point of view, but as soon as I was about to leave the fairgrounds I had to run back," Malkow said. "My cow, usually she's as calm as can be, but she was trying to rip her collar off when I got there."
Not only was Malkow's show cow frantically trying to get away from the distressful sound, the showman said she saw a few more down the line doing the same. Malkow said other cows had managed to run away and were found by their caretakers in the show barn trotting around confused and scared.
"It was just a mass rush," Malkow said.
Malkow's mother Mary Davidson, who was at her residence between Albany and Monticello at the time of the fireworks show, said she could not only hear the booming of the display but that the noise frightened the family ducks in the backyard.
Other owners also complained that their animals reacted negatively within the fair barn stalls during the show.
Green County Fair Office Manager Stephanie Miranda said she knew some animals had been bothered by the noise because some owners had complained their animals had been "spooked" but said the show itself was a success among all the attendees and that the rodeo animals near the grandstand at the time had not been bothered. She added that a number of people remarked on how much they liked the show.
Green County board member Dusty Williams pointed to a number of people who approached him to say they were "the best fireworks they had ever seen." Williams said the fair obtained a permit for the show and had gained permission from residents who live near the fairgrounds to shoot off the fireworks. He added everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
"There were some negative comments, too, but that comes with everything," Williams said. "We did the best we could to provide the best performance. As far as I'm concerned, they did really well."