Mason — The pigs napped on the cool concrete and the sheep waited to be hosed down, while the humans weaved between hot dog stands and merry-go-rounds looking for the closest ice cream stand.
Shade didn't cost a quarter or require a ticket, but it was hard to come by in the withering field, deep in the heart of the Ingham County Fair, 700 E. Ash St. It was 93 degrees Fahrenheit at 3:30 p.m., but it felt like 101 for Monday's opening day.
The fair runs until Saturday and by Thursday will hopefully cool down into the mid-70s. Although Michigan's weather is more unpredictable than the outcome of the Spartans' upcoming football season, so keep your fingers crossed for pleasant weather and MSU touchdowns.
Standing in the 4-H Sandhill Sheep Club tent, 15-year-old Mason resident Luke Tilden was worried about his two show lambs becoming overheated.
"I think (the heat) is affecting the crowds — there aren't a lot of people — but the lambs, we need to keep fans on them, keep them watered, make sure they are moving around, looking fine and staying hydrated," Tilden said.
In his fourth year of sheep competition, Tilden will be showing his farm animals on Wednesday and believes Monday was the hottest day he has experienced at the fair.
Club leader for the 4-H and Williamston resident Merle Boehmen, 52, paced around the tent relishing in the shade and watching over the young sheep owners.
"This week tends to draw out the worst time of the temperatures, but we try and keep an eye on the kids so they don't get too hot and watch the livestock because that is their main job here," Boehmen said.
Taking cover from the furious sun beams under a picnic pavilion, 51-year-old Laurence Dunn is on holiday from London, England, visiting a friend in Holt.
"It's a lot easier to go around the fair grounds in England because it's a lot cooler and they are smaller, but there is a lot more for the kids to do here," Dunn said with sweat beading down his forehead.
Dunn, a first-time visitor to the fair, was looking forward to enjoying a hot dog and a cold drink later in the day, but found it strange that pizza was being served because fairs in England won't sell it.
With an ice-cream cone in her hand, sitting under another pavilion on the grounds, 61-year-old DeWitt resident Lurenea Turcotte said she has been coming to the fair since the early '60s.
"If you go in the early evening or in the morning until noon, it's cool," Turcotte said.
"This is probably the warmest day I've been to the fair. There is usually a nice breeze over here — there is a little one today, but it's pretty warm."
