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Certain areas of the Jackson County Fairgrounds have been bursting with radiant colors during this week's county fair.Hundreds of flowers dot various portions of the fairgrounds, springing from flowerbeds and even taking up portions of the interior of the Herman Gumper Exhibition Building.

A couple hundred flats of flowers such as begonias are brought in, along with other flats carrying different types of flowers, fair operations Director Denise Owens said.
The festival part is how we decorate the grounds she said.The grounds don't just spring to life by themselves, though; prep work usually starts right after Memorial Day weekend.Getting the flowers in the ground using an army of volunteers is usually the most difficult part of the operation, Owens said.

A full-time staff member is also brought on to water and weed the flower beds during the run-up to the fair.A hot and dry summer has made it difficult to keep up with watering the plants, Owens said. Across the fairgrounds Wednesday afternoon, the beds appeared to be in fine shape, as most were blooming bright flowers.The flowers come from a combination of larger and smaller nurseries, including Glei's Orchards and Greenhouses in Hillsdale and Gee Farms in Stockbridge.Compared to other county fair facilities, Owens isn't sure if as much emphasis is put on flowers as there is in Jackson.

Everybody wants their place to look nice she said.Fair-goers have become accustomed to seeing bright, beautiful flowers during the week-long event, Owens said.