"Thank you" was a common phrase heard around the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds in Luxemburg on Thursday during the Kewaunee County Fair's opening day.

After the exhibition hall was filled with art projects on Monday, exhibitors brought their animals to the fairgrounds on Wednesday to prepare for a busy week in the barns and show rings. Landon Barta bounces between the hog barn and the poultry and rabbit barn to check on his animals throughout the fair. He is thankful to have the support of his parents, siblings and cousins to make sure everything gets done.

Things at this year's Kewaunee County Fair look different for Fairest of the Fair Savannah Bailey. After years of collecting her fair share of ribbons as an exhibitor, Bailey will be the one passing them out this year after she aged out of the junior fair shows. She is thankful for the opportunity to share her love for the fair in a new way this year.

Thursday's festivities included a veterans' flag ceremony as part of the fair's weekend-long tribute to those who defended the community's freedom. They were greeted by a Pierce-built fire truck with an aerial apparatus ladder fabricated a few miles away in Kewaunee. A veteran himself, Kewaunee Fabrications HR Business Partner Associate Adam Heiman said it was important to ensure those who defend the country so people can attend events like the Kewaunee County Fair are celebrated.

The Kewaunee County Fair runs through July 12.