The Northwestern Michigan Fair hosted its annual Kid’s and Special Kid’s Day Wednesday, offering free inclusive activities for children with special needs.
Hosted Aug. 3 through Aug. 9, the fair includes 4-H events, carnival rides, animal shows, rodeos, demolition derbies and more.
Jill Duell, who has been in charge of Kid’s and Special Kid’s Day for six years, said children with special needs hold a special place in her heart.
“They’re more special than we are,” Duell said. “They deserve more. They are perfect angels in my eyes. They need all the love that they can get. They don’t know bad; they just love life.”
As she walked through the fairgrounds, Duell stopped to give children hugs and speak with them, knowing many by name.
“This is what this fair is all about,” she said, smiling at a young girl with pigtails.
The food and activities for the attending families were primarily provided through donations and sponsors, in addition to the fair’s budget.
This year, tents offering face painting, hair tinsel and wooden crafts from Home Depot were filled with children.
Arnold Amusements, the company supplying the carnival rides, offered special needs rides during the morning. The lines were shorter, the crowds were smaller, and the rides were slower for all children to enjoy.
One of the fair’s attendees, Becky Dornoff, said she has had great experiences with inclusivity in the Grand Traverse area with her children.
Dornoff said she currently houses six children with special needs and parents 22 children, most of them adopted.
She praised the Northwestern Michigan Fair for its dedication to accessibility, as well as Traverse City as a whole. Dornoff said she also takes her children to the National Cherry Festival’s Special Kid’s Day, which they look forward to every year.
“This area has been so wonderful,” she said.
Vicki Miller, mother of an autistic son and a cognitively impaired son, said she felt the same way.
Miller said she has been bringing Vincent and Arthur to the Northwestern Michigan Fair for about 20 years, noting that vendors, ride operators, and 4-H participants are consistently patient and welcoming.
She appreciates how the fair creates a safe, understanding space where her children are met with compassion rather than judgment.
“One thing I love about the special kids is if one kid is having a meltdown, which might trigger other children having meltdowns, we don’t bat an eyelash,” Miller said. “You know, we just kind of look at it like, OK, this is happening.”
She said she hasn’t found any other resources like those in Traverse City to support her children.
“I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” Miller said.
Along with the Special Kid’s Day activities, a 4-H Differently Abled Program Show was hosted earlier in the week. Run through the Northwest Michigan 4-H Livestock Council, the program focuses on building confidence.
and creating a safe environment for children and young adults with special needs.
Laurissa Peterson was enjoying the carnival rides with her daughter Katie and granddaughter Izabella.
Peterson said she is the legal guardian of her 3-year-old granddaughter, in addition to her daughter with special needs. Her situation can be difficult, she said, adding that she wishes there was more support in the area.
But she had not seen before the kind of inclusivity they experienced at the Northwestern Michigan Fair, she said.
“It’s so nice that (they’re) not discouraged from these things or discriminated against,” Peterson said.
