Riley Smail, 10, and Letty Weisler, 6, meet a cow at the petting zoo at the Big Butler Fair on Tuesday in Prospect. Joseph Ressler/Butler Eagle

PROSPECT — Katelyn and Kim Ley travel from Pittsburgh to Butler County every summer for the animals.

Well, mostly the animals; because while they are at the Big Butler Fair, they enjoy getting food and drinks and seeing the sights. But the petting zoo and 4-H barns are draws to them.

“We just like to come mostly to look at the animals,” Katelyn Ley said at the fair Tuesday.

Harold Dunn, secretary of the Butler Fair and Agricultural Association, said Tuesday that the fair has been running smoothly and has been well-attended since it opened Friday. He said the fair attracts visitors of all demographics because of the variety of activities it offers, and the changing schedule each night ensures that some people will come back multiple days.

“Attendance has been excellent so far; all three nights the grandstand has been packed,” Dunn said. “After 166 years, we better know what we’re doing.”

Dunn pointed out Tuesday that the middle days of the fair’s nine-day run are filled with animal showings and competitions, so the Leys came at the right time.

The midway carnival is a constant appeal for guests, whether it be the competitive games on display or the rides that offer mild thrills or high-octane chills.

Al Fowler, of Powers Great American Midways, helps retrieve a target for Aaron Colf, 7, of Green Tree, at the machine gun shootout game at the Big Butler Fair on Tuesday in Prospect. Joseph Ressler/Butler Eagle

Khloe Gottschalk, of Cranberry Township, said she enjoyed the dragon ride that took her around a circular course up and down bumpy hills.

“We have a family member that drives like crazy, and that was like riding with him,” she said.

Marc Janas, public relations director of Powers Great American Midways, which supplies the games, food and rides to the fair, said the rides are all inspected by an in-house professional as well as a third-party inspector. He said the company’s administrators monitor the rides throughout the day and can mitigate hiccups caused by weather or wind.

“The rides are thoroughly inspected,” Janas said. “Safety is our first priority, and fun goes hand in hand with that.”

Janas also said many staff members employed by Powers have worked with the company for years, and are well familiar with the duties of their posts.

Andrew Habura and Seth Collier play a ring toss game at the Big Butler Fair on Tuesday in Prospect. Joseph Ressler/Butler Eagle

Additionally, the workers are used to traveling the country to bring the carnival to different locations. Janas said he makes the most of the local offerings.

“I’ll go out and buy the peppers for the stands, so I get them fresh every day,” he said. “And, like any other job when we have time off, we’ll go to the movies; we had a big campfire to celebrate the Fourth of July.”

Riley Miller, 4, rides a monster truck ride at the Big Butler Fair on Tuesday in Prospect. Joseph Ressler/Butler Eagle

Jeremy Kraeel, 17, of Slippery Rock, said he liked going to the fair in part because of the rides and foods, but there is an essential ingredient needed to make it a fun destination.

“It’s just coming to hang with friends,” he said.