AFTON – The idea of a country fair often conjures up images of midway rides, funnel cake and cotton candy. The Afton Fair and Agricultural Exposition, which opens this Wednesday, is all that and much, much more.

“This is one of the last little country town fairs in New York State,” explained Dennis Fletcher, board president of the Afton Driving Park and Agricultural Association, the volunteer driven non-profit organization which owns the grounds and organizes the fair each year.

The five-day event will feature everything from midway rides, games and food vendors to live music, dairy and horse shows, harness racing, a firemen’s parade, tractor pulls, stock car races, demolition derbies and fireworks.

While the midway is a big draw, educating younger generations about the area’s rich agricultural heritage is the true focus of the event, according to the organizers.

The fair itself has a storied history, which dates back even further than the 120 years it is celebrating at its current location this year. According to Vice President Stephen Willes, the first fair was held in Afton in 1858. The original site, explained Fletcher, was just a “stone’s throw” away from the current 79-acre property, to which the fair moved in 1889.

In its heyday, the event drew tens of thousands of visitors each day with farmers from far and wide displaying their livestock and being judged on the fruits of their labors. It is that history which Fletcher, Willes and the remaining members of the organization’s board of directors wish to embrace.

“We’re trying to get it back to the little agricultural town fair that it was,” Fletcher said.

To that end, there is an increased focus this year on the youth dairy show, which takes place Wednesday and Thursday, as well as the horse shows on Saturday and Sunday. The board is also trying to increase the number and types of entries for the items judged in the floral hall, Fletcher said. There are plenty of other activities which fit with the agriculture theme as well, such as the antique and garden tractor pulls on Sunday and “kiddie” tractor pulls spread throughout the weekend.

There will be other child-friendly activities as well, including caricatures, Mr. Scribbles, farm animal a visit by Ronald McDonald on Sunday and daily bike give-a-ways. There will also be plenty of kiddie rides and games on the midway, provided by Main Event Amusements.

“This is their second year with us, and we’re extremely happy,” said Fletcher, of the amusement company.