Balloonists Gene Delano, left, and Charles Venable get ready to launch one of six hot air balloons about 7 a.m. Saturday at the Vinland Fair. The balloonists came from Missouri to be in the balloon launch. Enthusiasts can see the balloons again at dawn today.

Vinland ? The annual fair in this small town between Lawrence and Baldwin City is simple, yet full of old-fashioned fun.

It’s a smaller version of the typical county fair, minus the carnival.

It’s probably the same as it was 100 years ago when it first started, said Regina Strout, who has attended the last 20 years or so.

“It’s a community event,” she said as she munched on a barbecued beef sandwich under a small tent.

And while organizers added a few new events to the fair this year, including an antique tractor show and car show, they don’t have much concern about making it any fancier than it was when it started.

“We’ve tried to keep it pretty simple, like it’s always been,” said Jean Moore, an organizer who lives 1 1/2 miles northeast of the fairgrounds, in Baldwin City.

Even though it’s simple, there’s still plenty to keep fairgoers busy during the four-day fair that began Thursday and ends today.

Wyatt Slavin, 9, stood at the center of the fair’s small wooden stage. He held his small pet goat, Tango, after competing in the best dressed pet competition.

Tango wore a camouflaged jacket and scarf to match Wyatt’s camouflaged clothes. Wyatt had black smudges painted on his face in an attempt to mimic the lines on Tango’s face.

Wyatt, Baldwin City, earned 75 cents for Tango’s second-place finish, losing to a better-dressed dog.

Sylvie Mitchell, 8, sat nearby, letting the toad she caught five days earlier jump all over her.

“His name is Mr. White, but I just call him Mr. Toad,” she said.

The toad took part in the most unusual pet competition earlier in the day, earning Sylvie a second-place finish.

Meanwhile, Wynne Mihura, Lawrence; Dorothy Pritchard, Pomona; and Ken Martin, Baldwin City, duked it out in a horseshoe tournament.

“He moved the stakes on me!” Mihura said after Martin won the competition.

The 2007 Vinland Fair begins at dawn today with a hot air balloon fest and flyaway, which also took place at dawn Saturday. The fair ends at 2 p.m. today.