SUMTER, S.C. — It's fair season throughout the Midlands, not just in Columbia. Over in Sumter, the local American Legion is hosting its fair, celebrating its 107th year in the community.
"They do a lot for the community and do a lot for other people as well," Kyla Watford says about American Legion Post #15.
Born and raised in Sumter, Watford said she's grown up coming to the Sumter American Legion Fair every year. This time, Watford said she is back as a food vendor for the first time "to serve the community and help give the community as the American Legion gives back."
"As far as everything that the American Legion stands for — community, state, nation — the money that we raised here does stay in the community," fair manager Peter St. Onge said. "It helps the veterans and the kids that are coming through our youth programs. So when we see people that come into here, and we tell them about all that. It's why we wear our legion caps, that's why it says American Legion Fair on [our shirts]."
St. Onge says the gate sales from the fair go to the American Legion, which helps the group serve groups like the Boy and Girl Scouts and the P-15 youth baseball program.
"We want everybody to know that it's the veterans that have served this country are now serving the community through the fair," St. Onge said.
A fair that is run primarily by locals, for locals, St. Onge says. Typically, the fair serves Sumter, Lee, Clarendon and Kershaw Counties.
"The hometown personal touch that you see, you know, it's a smaller atmosphere, more personal, people they know," St. Onge said. "We have a lot of local families here that show with our animals, do their arts and crafts and stuff like that. So when people are looking at the name tags, it's people they recognize."
But it's open to anyone who wants to come by to enjoy the rides, the art, the animals and everything in between.
"We've seen a lot of familiar faces," Watford said. "We've also seen faces that is not from around here. So they do come from all over from different counties as well."