Donna Jedele was gearing up Monday to take in about 200 jars of canned goods ranging from jams to canned meat at the Saline Community Fair.

Over in the baked goods department, Sue Weidmayer was expecting close to 130 entries.

Outside, rides and food trailers were being set up and spruced up. It was all part of getting ready for the Saline Community Fair, which opens to visitors today for a 7-day run. The fair is being held a week earlier than in previous years.

Jedele has been helping at the fair for about 10 years and was looking forward to seeing her children, Angela, 15 and Amanda, 9, show their sheep at the annual fair.

Tzdihar and Ray Asseo entered canned tomatoes “for fun” they said. In previous years they’d entered two kinds of squash.

“We have a 6-foot tall tomato plant,” Tzdihar Asseo said of their garden.

The couple has lived in Saline for 30-plus years, has a large garden, and frequently visit the fair. “We like to see what other people have made,” she said.

John Harnica of Dundee arrived with a 670-pound pumpkin for the largest pumpkin contest, which had to be hoisted off the back of his truck with a forklift.

The winner of the annual agricultural competition receives a $50 cash prize from 10-time winner Bob Wells of Lodi Township.

“It’s the largest pumpkin I’ve brought here,” Harnica said, but the record at the fair stands at 747 pounds.

Wells said after winning the competition for so many years, he decided to become the contest’s sponsor rather than an entrant.

Nancy Thelen, the MSU extension director, said her favorite part of the fair is “making new friends and visiting with old ones,” but she was interested to find out how visitors would enjoy the Taste of Agriculture Day on Sunday.

“We’re putting agriculture in the spotlight this year to educate people about where their food comes from; it’s a mix of Project Red (Rural Education Days) and Breakfast on the Farm,” Thelen said.

There will be corn, wheat, oats and soybean plants as well as products made from these grains, she said, and samples of items such as roasted potatoes, popcorn, ice cream, apples and soy nuts for the first 500 people, she said.

For Brent Bechler, 13, of Dundee, this year’s Saline fair was the first time he’d held a rabbit. While taking a break from setting up a food trailer, he was able to hold Gus, a junior Holland Lop rabbit, in the small animal barn before Tuesday morning’s breed competition.

There will be more than 100 rabbits shown today, said Loren Luckhardt, assistant rabbit superintendent. In addition, for the first time, the fair is offering rabbit showmanship on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.

“We’re hoping that because the fair is a week earlier more youth will participate,” he said.

For a complete list of times and events, visit the fair's website. Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com.

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