It was a beautiful Tuesday morning, the first official day of fall—the perfect kind of day to kick off a county fair.

After a gray, rainy Monday, the sunshine and blue skies looked mighty welcome to everyone in charge of setting up the booths and judging the entries at the Kiwanis Exhibit Hall.

&uot;Oh, what a contrast to yesterday…the rain was so loud on the tin roof out here, we couldn’t even hear each other when we were trying to sort out the artwork.

This is a gorgeous day,&uot; noted Janis Odom of the Fine Arts League, the organization in charge of the fair’s art exhibit.

League President Tom Braxton was extremely pleased with the large number of entries, which included oils, acrylics, watercolors, pen and ink, pastels, mixed media, charcoal and more.

&uot;Overall, this is the biggest number of entries we have ever had, and certainly the largest number of entries in the youth division…it was no easy feat for our judges, let me tell you,&uot; Braxton said.

The ladies of the Pride of Greenville Garden Club also were busy Tuesday morning setting up examples of colorful artistry—only this time, the &uot;art&uot; was created from live and fresh flowers and plants.

The exhibit theme, &uot;Stars Fell on Alabama,&uot; was well represented with a variety of arrangements paying tribute to Mardi Gras in Mobile, the sands and sea of Gulf Shores, the Huntsville Space Center and the patriotic spirit of the state along with other Alabama-oriented themes.

There also was a plentiful display of ferns, crotons, cacti and other green plants, products of the county’s greenest thumbs.

Sue Johnson won both first place and the award for horticultural excellence for her beautiful croton plant.

&uot;We hope lots of people will turn out to see all these beautiful flowers while they are still fresh,&uot; said Pride of Greenville member Nancy Jones as the judges made their final decisions on the winners.

In the meantime, the judges of the preserves, candy and home-baked goods had no easy task—it all looked delicious.

Still, the ladies persevered through all the chow chow, corn, salsa, pepper sauce, tomato relish, fig preserves, apple jelly and many more jars and bottles lining the exhibit shelves.

The fragrant scent of baked goods and candies made many mouths water.

&uot;Now, y’all know we are not part of your exhibit, so hands off,&uot; Rochelle Mosley said with a teasing grin to the art exhibit judges next door.

A cornucopia of clever crafts also was on hand for judges to peruse—everything from painted mailboxes and floral wreaths to a charming blue-ribbon winning &uot;garden lady&uot; created by Joni Thomas.

An inviting assortment of colorful granny square Afghans in the textiles division made one want a chilly fall evening to ‘hurry up and get here’.

While there were still several empty spots, by early Tuesday

afternoon most businesses and community clubs had their booths ready for inspection.

Eye-catching displays included the Industry Community Club’s ‘Bountiful Harvest’ (a first place winner), ‘Build A Backyard Wildlife Habitat’ and the Sasanqua Garden Club’s whimsical group of prize-winning ‘Recycled Litter Ladies’, created by local elementary school classes.

There were already several local citizens coming through to catch a ‘sneak peak’ at all the booths and entries, admiring the ingenuity and handiwork of Butler Countians.

Of course, there is also the pumpkin contest, cotton candy, the Tilt-a-Whirl, games galore, the Ferris wheel and other great rides, the livestock exhibits and much more …all the fun of a 50-year local tradition.

To discover the many pleasures of the Butler County Fair, come out to the Kiwanis Fairgrounds this week through Saturday.

Gates open at 5 p.m. each evening through Friday.

On Saturday, the fair opens at 1 p.m. for ‘Kid’s Afternoon’.

Between 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, kids age 11 and under are admitted free.

Wednesday is Senior Citizen’s Night with free admission to those age 65 and older, and Thursday is Family Night when you can ride all evening for only $9.

Regular admission is $4 for adults, $1 for students ages 6-11 and children five and under are admitted free.