Annual county fair concludes

With 6 1/2 days of rain-free weather, a strong offering of entertainment and an appeal to people from surrounding counties, the St. Joseph County Grange Fair concluded Saturday night for its 166th time.
Fair manager Bill Johnson said there were a number of issues that kept him and his staff on their toes all week, from an electrical outage in the camping area to a burst water pipe. On Saturday, a 68-year-old Sturgis resident had cardiac arrest and passed away while at the fair. All in all, however, the fair defied the odds by having near-perfect weather for back-to-back years. The estimated attendance last week was 150,000, almost identical to 2015.
Johnson said on behalf of the fair board, he would like to thank the public for its strong support.
Saturday’s final-day highlights included the third-annual charity pie-eating contest. Seven of the county’s nine school communities were represented, with Three Rivers and Mendon taking a pass this year.
The winner’s trophy will remain in Sturgis for the second year in a row, as transportation and facilities employee Brandon Kinsey devoured a 10-inch chocolate cream pie in just shy of five minutes.
Kinsey, 36, was participating to raise funds for Five Star Life after-school care program. By virtue of his victory Saturday, the fair kicked in $500 to the charity.
Johnson said the fair board will assemble in the next month and review the 2016 fair, and start the wheels in motion for the 2017 event.