The Manitou Agricultural Fair celebrated 134 years this past weekend.

The fair saw families from across the region enjoying activities like the petting zoo, and seniors slow pitch while checking out displays put on by the local 4-H club.

Hugh WaddinghamWith lower attendance numbers than previous years however, President of the Manitou Ag Society, Hugh Waddingham, says time have been tough over the past couple of years and attributes that to the decline of beef farms.

“So many kids, their fathers' have retired from the cattle business and that hurts 4-H. The cattle numbers are greatly reduced to what they were 5 years ago. Times are just dictating to us. Down the road, nobody know what's going to happen.”

With the event struggling to break even, Waddingham explains he's cautious about what the future holds for the Manitou Agricultural Fair and 4-H youth.

“The younger people today that are coming up, they think a little different and they act a little different than we do.” he says. “I don't know. It's going to be an uphill battle for everybody I think, to keep [the fair] rolling ahead.”

Despite the recent struggles of Ag Fair, Waddingham says the Ag Society still enjoys putting on this event every year for parents and kids, and hopes for success in the future to continue having it.

“It's for the kids in my eyes. As long as we got kids, hopefully we can have a fair for them,” said Waddingham