ADA, Minn. -- The main roads into the city are closed.
Farm fields are flooded and homes ringed with sandbags.
Ada had the look Friday of a city that had just fought off its second major flood in three weeks -- except for the fairgrounds.
The serious mood that seemed to surround the rest of Ada was noticeably missing around that two-block area.
Kids lined up for the House of Terror and Helga the Headless Woman. Nothing serious there.
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The 105th Norman County Fair hasn't been canceled since World War II, and determined residents weren't going to let water spoil that streak.
"Ada has taken some terrible wallops the past couple of years," hometowner Marvin Lee said. "The folks figured you got to get out and live instead of staying cooped up and complaining."
A group of teen-agers perused the food options, wolfing down goodies like cheese curds, funnel cakes and nachos.
Across the parking lot, about 100 people gathered for the opening of a brand new log cabin museum.
They were laughing, talking about their golf games and about how proud they were of the new building.
It was impossible to tell the county has suffered about $43 million in crop losses the past three weeks.
More than 50 percent of Norman County's crops have been lost, said Jennifer Myers, a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee who was at the fair with her two kids.
And even though her family farm was included in that 50 percent, she was able to keep things in perspective.
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"This is nothing compared to Roseau," Myers said.
Mayor Jim Ellefson thought the fair was not only appropriate but necessary.
"It just shows the spirit of the people," he said. "These people spent the past three weeks fighting or recovering from floods. They just decided the flood isn't going to beat us."
There are some physical signs of the flood.
The south end of the fairgrounds is under 4 feet of water, said Jim Birkemeyer, director of the Norman County Fair.
Other areas were dug up and used to build dikes.
That caused the cancellation of two popular racing events -- sprint car and motocross racing -- but officials quickly came up with alternative entertainment.
Congressman Collin Peterson and his band and several other acts will perform 7 p.m. today.
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The fair goes through Sunday.
For current information on road conditions, visit the Norman County Extension Service Web site ().
The best route to Ada is Highway 75 to Highway 200 east.
Minnesota Highway 9 is closed south of Borrup, according to the Norman County Sheriff's Department.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Baird at (701) 241-5535
