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Hunter Aeschlimann of Perry, Ga., washes and grooms her cow, Apollo, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agriculture Center on Oct. 5, 2024.
Credit: Lux Corrona
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Goats and swings: A trip to the Georgia National Fair with UGA photojournalists
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Students from the University of Georgia’s Advanced Photojournalism class spent a long day documenting the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Ga., with a charge to "show what the fair means and not what it looks like."
More than 545,000 people attended the annual 11-day event in Perry, which also features food, rides and fine arts. UGA journalism students provide a glimpse behind-the-scenes of one of the most popular fairs in the Southeast.
The young photographers covered everything from livestock competitions to concerts.
Hunter Aeschlimann of Perry has owned her cow, Apollo, for almost a year. The bovine placed seventh in the second ring of the Junior Beef Showmanship this year.
Abel Cantrell, 13, from Lamar County, Ala., and his horse, Darth Vader, won first prize in the Weaning Belgian Stallion competition at the Georgia National Fair in Perry on Saturday morning of Oct. 5. Dwain Cantrell, Abel's grandfather, owns the horse and mentioned that it had been a dream to get to watch his grandchildren compete at the fair, and he was proud as it was his first show.
It's not just livestock on hand; the fair also has games galore. The fair's midway contained a variety of different attractions, food stalls and games for fair attendees. Reithoffer Shows, a North American traveling midway founded in 1896, provides the attractions at the Georgia National Fair.
People also dress up for the fair. A pair of twins, Justice and Journey Coker, were excited to wear custom matching pink fair shirts.
But for some attendees, it's about the rides.
The Hargraves — parents Kohle and Courtney with kids Paisley and Cherise — plan to make visiting the fair a yearly tradition as a way to spend time together. 9-year-old Paisley's favorite part about the fair was the rides, specifically the ones that make you dizzy. Cherise, 7, said her favorite part was the trampoline.
Eli Rego, a 6-year-old from Carrollton, took part in the Mutton Bustin' competition at the fair. The event, sort of a rodeo in miniature, allows children who weigh less than 65 pounds attempt to stay on a sheep's back for more than five seconds.
Rego accomplished the feat.
Michael Holakovsky, the 2-year-old son of Linds Holakovsky, was a newcomer to the fair after his family moved to Forsyth, Ga., from Illinois a year ago.
Meanwhile, Mason Pelphrey, from White County, Ga, is a comparative fair veteran. Pelphrey has shown livestock three times at the fair.
Another young entrant, Abbie Snipes, and her family also came to compete.
Snipes and her family had just regained power to their home in Guyton, Ga., after a week without it following Hurricane Helene. They still decided to come compete anyway, hoping it would help bring a "sense of normalcy."
But one competition could be described as more extreme than normal.
Ethan Shulda, four-time Mark Black Trick Ski award winner, represented Team USA in 2018 and 2022 and will compete with the 2025 World Waterski Team.
Eight professionals came in from around the country to give feedback to the UGA students in the field and in an on-site editing space, allowing the students to have multiple critiques which they could immediately apply to their work.
The results? See above.
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