GREENFIELD — Hit hard by a barrage of bad weather, the first two days of this year’s Franklin County Fair were anything but fair. In the end, though, the 174-year tradition persisted, bouncing back over the weekend.

“It was really inspiring to see how all the community members banded together to help,” said Mike Nelson, president of the Franklin County Agricultural Society that manages the Franklin County Fairgrounds on Wisdom Way.

Severe thunderstorms rolled into Franklin County on both Thursday and Friday evenings. Nelson said rain rarely poses much of an issue at the fairgrounds; it can even feel nice on a hot summer day. High winds, however, are a different story.

While Thursday’s storm didn’t hit the fair during a peak hour, unexpected windstorm conditions struck during prime time on Friday, damaging 16 tents and several vendor booths, according to Nelson.

“Our poles bent,” said Terri Johnson, co-owner of Reflections of Time, a South Barre-based yard decoration and giftware business. She motioned toward a large bend in her thick metal tent pole, explaining that this year’s weather was reminiscent of a storm from seven years ago that caused her fair tent to turn inside out and look “like a dead spider.”

The weather also necessitated the cancellation of Friday evening events, which has not happened in several years, according to Nelson.

“It was really heartbreaking for us on Friday night when we had to make the decision to close, and that we had two days in a row not only of inclement weather, but two days that really, the public didn’t really get to enjoy the event we were trying to bring to them,” Nelson said.

“The weather is just something you can’t ever overcome,” said Robert Coleman, co-owner of Middletown, Connecticut-based Coleman Brothers Shows that operated the rides at the fair. Weather conditions, he added, “control the business.”

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Coleman explained the rides can’t handle any wind over 35 miles an hour, so he made the decision to shut them down when thunderstorms approached the fairgrounds on multiple days. Nelson added that vehicles had to be brought into the fairgrounds that could hold carnival equipment in place with chains.

While the storm conditions caused some to leave the fair early, others found ways to carry on business as usual. Johnson said she was able to preserve her inventory by tucking away displays and putting side walls around her booth. The RECOVER Project, which had its first set of tents ravaged by the wind, opted to return to the fair with new tents and finish out the weekend.

“Resilient! That’s how we roll at The RECOVER Project,” said Kara Cavanaugh, community engagement manager for the Greenfield-based substance abuse resource organization.

Recovery Coach Keith Coleman added that showing resilience is only fitting for a group with their mission. He and Cavanaugh said they have been “blown away” by the number of people who have approached them for help or information since their first time attending the Franklin County Fair last year.

“We’re not going to let this little storm stop us,” Keith Coleman said. “Just like in recovery, you’re not going to let these little speed bumps stop you from achieving what your goals are.”

Nelson cited this year’s newcomers as some of the fair’s brightest to shine through the weekend’s clouds. The Overdrive Monster Truck Show, which Nelson previously said was the event he was most excited to see, “definitely lived up to the expectations,” he recapped.

Another first-time attendee, the Axe Women Loggers of Maine, wowed packed crowds with four rounds of “timber sports.” Prior to rain returning Sunday afternoon, Alissa Wetherbee, a world-class “lumberjill” who chops, saws and logrolls, captivated onlookers by sweeping two other competitors across hot saw, axe throwing, underhand chop and log rolling competitions.

Wetherbee’s husband and the group’s emcee, Mike Wetherbee, said while the rain was “unfortunate,” it wasn’t too large of an obstacle to overcome.

“We just came back from five weeks in the Rockies and we were dealing with 5¼-inch hail all the time,” he said.

Nelson said once initial feelings of disappointment subsided, fairgoers were grateful for the resilience of those who made the fair happen.

“With the sharing of the reasoning of why we had to close [Friday evening] and the understanding of the public, there was really a quick turnaround of frustration from the public to appreciation and empathy of wanting to support the fairgrounds,” Nelson said, noting that his team had been feeling “really down” prior to Saturday. “They know the fairgrounds is a place where the community comes together and [this weekend], they really showed that.”

Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-930-4231 or jmendoza@recorder.com. Reporter Bella Levavi contributed to this article.