LOCKE# - Southern Cayuga County was treated to its own version of the New York State Fair this weekend.

A few miles south of Moravia, near the border of Cayuga and Tompkins counties, sits the Locke Fairgrounds. Like the village that surrounds it, the area is smaller and much less bustling than its Syracuse counterpart.

Even so, hundreds of people from the area turned out for the Locke Firefighters Annual Field Days, which took place at the fairgrounds Thursday and Friday nights and all day Saturday.

The three-day carnival, held to raise funds for the Locke Volunteer Fire Department, included numerous rides, games, live entertainment and a parade on Saturday evening.

“We plan to do some renovations on the building you're sitting in right now,” Tim Dickenson, Locke VFD deputy chief, said Saturday afternoon, referring to an aluminum structure located near the grounds.

The building is one of two structures that the department uses regularly - one for meetings and other events, the other set aside for future use as a banquet hall.

Dickenson said he is on the committee responsible for organizing the field days every year, and the group spends several months beforehand making arrangements with Midway Rides of Utica, the company that provides the majority of the festival attractions.

Highlights of the carnival included Friday night's performance by local band Chain Reaction. The crowd was also treated to a spectacular fireworks display presented by American Fireworks.

On Saturday, brave souls were treated to an “all-you-can-ride” special, where people paid a $10 fee for unlimited access to attractions like bumper cars and a giant slide.

A parade featuring the Moravia and Groton high school marching bands, antique cars and numerous fire and rescue vehicles wound its way through the community.

The affair was capped by Saturday night's performance by Auburn's Prison City Rockers.

Amidst the throngs of people on the midway was Pam Gummerson of Auburn, who pushed her 1-year-old son, Mikey, in a stroller.

“I've known about (the carnival) for a while, but this is the first year I've come,” she said. “I figured this year would be a good one, because my son is old enough to enjoy it.”