Now in its 128th year, horse racing has missed only one of Carlton County Fair's remarkable 129 years, and that was the very first fair, according to the event's superintendent, Kari Siltanen.

Since then it's been going strong, thanks mostly to a collection of dedicated volunteers.

Siltanen said without those volunteers the complicated racing program would not be possible.

"Each year the track starts out from a grassy field and after countless hours of dragging the track it turns into a horse racetrack," she said. "Chuck Hibke was in charge of prepping the track with the new drag that was...