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Hours before the gates rolled open Friday morning, Orange County residents awoke with an undeniable feeling of anticipation after nearly two years and the long arc of a global pandemic, the Orange County Fair was finally back in town.
By 10 a.m., the clowns were makeup ready. Ponies queued in a ring, awaiting the light burden of child riders. Turkey legs were turned with loving care. Farm animals nestled in beds of fresh hay. All that was missing were the people.
Outside the gates, a small crowd of fairgoers who’d ordered their tickets online in advance (one of several coronavirus precautions adopted this year in consultation with the Orange County Health Care Agency) lined up to get a first crack at the spectacle.