STRATHAM -- Young girls and boys in muck boots cleaned and groomed animals, while others in flip-flops wandered the midway during opening day of the 45th annual Stratham Fair on Thursday.

A light breeze blew through the fairgrounds on Route 33, helping to keep temperatures a bit cooler than they have been in recent days.

The weather was welcome news for festival directors, who suffered record temperatures during last year's event.

John Cushing, marketing director for the fair, said as the first fair of the season in the state, Stratham battles all sorts of strange weather, but it never keeps people from coming out.

State fairs have their roots in agriculture, and the Stratham Fair is no different.

Kids between the ages of 8 and 18 in the 4-H program will participate in various animal and horticultural competitions throughout the weekend.

Cocoa, a brown-and-white Ayrshire milking cow was giving Peta Fifield, 14, of Lee, quite a hard time Thursday as she tried to trim the hair around his face ahead of their show on Saturday.

Fifield will show off her two cows in the intermediate fit and show class.

“I'm trying to clip his head for the show and they usually don't like that, but they look neater when their hair is not so long,” Fifield said.

She and her five sisters show at fairs all over the state, from Cornish to Deerfield.

She said she likes being around the animals and other people interested in agriculture.

“It's really nice having people that appreciate agriculture and understand what you are trying to do by having animals and care about what we are trying to promote here,” Fifield said. “It's important to know where your food comes from because it all comes from farms.”

Hope Mariacher, 12, and her sister, Faith, 10, of Lee, were in a different area of the barns washing and drying a Cheviots sheep named Clover, who was also vocally objecting to the treatment.

“I like seeing who I'm against and learning new things for showing and working with them (the sheep),” Faith Mariacher said about participating in state fairs.

This year, she is hoping to learn more about trimming the sheep's hooves, which her older sister said is no easy task.

Hope Mariacher said she likes getting to see all of the friends she only sees during fair season.

She said she particularly likes Stratham because it is smaller, and she has more time to spend with those friends.

The fair is a reunion for many.

Cushing said many of the families first involved in starting the Stratham Fair 45 years ago are still active.

The fair features all of the activities that families have come to know and love, including rides, games, food, daily entertainment, tractor, horse and oxen pulling, fireworks, the Miss Stratham Fair pageant and more.

Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children between the ages of 6 and 12 and seniors over the age of 65.

All-for-one-price ride deals are offered today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. for $21. Parking is free.

The fair is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day through Sunday.

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Gretyl Macalaster may be reached at gmacalaster@newstote.com.