Carrying a goldfish inside a plastic bag Monday at the Georgia State Fair, Brittany Kirkland smiled and said her parents wouldn't be happy with her.

The 17-year-old stood not far from rows of small glass bowls filled with colored water where she won the new pet.

"We got a fish," she said. "They're not going to like that."

Kirkland, of Jones County, attended the fair's opening day with her boyfriend and two younger sisters - a yearly tradition, she said.

She said she planned to get on the rides, but they didn't seem to spin, twirl and flip as fast as they did when she was younger.

Monday afternoon, the sky was overcast, and a cool breeze greeted strollers carrying babies, parents lugging toddlers, teenagers holding hands and others who wandered the Georgia State Fair grounds at Central City Park.

A light drizzle got the fair to a slow start, said Lou Davis, Georgia State Fair board president, but it didn't dampen the enthusiasm of fairgoers.

"I would say it's probably an average opening Monday, which is better than what we had last year," Davis said. He said attendance generally picks up as the week progresses, but he didn't have an estimate on Monday's people count.

Last year, when attendance stood at about 50,000 for the week, rain from Tropical Storm Jeanne closed the fair on its first day and affected attendance the next.

This year, he said, the weather is forecast to remain mostly clear. He said there's a chance of rain Thursday, but he remained optimistic.

"You know those weather guys, they change their minds two or three times," he joked.

Bibb County sheriff's Capt. Charlie Gunnels said the 40 law officers patrolling the fair had encountered no problems other than lost children or "lost parents, as I like to call them."

Natalie Pitts, 24, attended Monday's opening and said the fair always has been an annual outing for her.

"I like the fair better than Christmas," she said as her two children told her they wanted to go on another ride.
"It's something to do," she said.

Pitts said she enjoys the fair as much as she ever did, but now she also gets to see her children enjoy it.

Jeff Butts, 32, of Macon, said he wishes there were more events other than the rides.

"We're spoiled with Disney and other theme parks," he said.

Butts said his children "ride until they tire out, and then we go home."

Octavious Burney, 24, went to the fair by himself to enjoy the rides.

"It's fun. It gives you a lot of energy. It gets you hyped up," he said. "When you don't get a chance to go to Six Flags, you deal with other options."

And before Kirkland, her sisters, her boyfriend and her new goldfish searched for more rides, she said she would probably attend the Georgia Sate Fair every year for the rest of her life.

"Especially when I have children," she said.

To contact Tim Sturrock call (478) 744-4347 or e-mail tsturrock@macontel.com.

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Senior Day
$3 admission for senior citizens
10 a.m.-2 p.m., seniors activities
10 a.m., Midway opens
Noon, bingo free to seniors (cash prize)
Noon-2 p.m., lunch at the fair, free admission at lunch
4:30 p.m., Future Farmers of America commercial dairy heifer show
5-7 p.m., free bingo with prizes
6-9 p.m., talent show

SOURCE: Georgia State Fair