Curtain to rise on fair
It’s back! The 55th annual fair opens today at the Fayette County Fairgrounds in Dunbar Township, bringing with it a showcase of agricultural displays, musical acts, demolition derbies and family shows like the ever-popular racing pigs. “Everybody’s getting set up,’ Bill Jackson, fair board president, said Wednesday. “The rain is putting a little hiccup on things but I think everything will be fine.”
The rain on Wednesday – it was Rain Day in Waynesburg – is supposed to give way today to cloudy skies with a high around 80, according to the National Weather Service’s Web site.
The weather should allow activities to go on today as scheduled at the fairgrounds, such as entries accepted from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a variety of departments, including youths younger than age 19, home and dairy, needlework, handcrafts, art and photography and grange displays.
The gates open at 6 p.m. and the opening ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Youth Building. The carnival starts up at 6 p.m. and continues until 11 p.m.
At 7 p.m., the firemen’s parade starts throughout the fairgrounds while The Kortney Jean Band also begins its show in the Indoor Arena, Croushore’s Championship demolition Derby revs up in the Outdoor Arena and judging of baked goods takes place in the Home Economics Building.
A new fair queen and princess will be crowned this evening after judging that begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Fiddlers Building and the final musical act starts at 8:30 p.m. when Trapline plays in the Indoor Arena. Don’t forget the Family Area with shows such as Pigs Gone Wild!, The Balsters and Great Lakes Timber Show.
And that’s just the first night.
Something new that is scheduled this year is a sandwich-eating contest, sponsored by Pasta Lorenzo in Uniontown, which takes place at 5 p.m. Saturday at the hospitality tent. Registration for contestants is from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
The object is to eat half of an Italian Stallion sandwich as fast as you can.
Pasta Lorenzo’s Brad Sciullo, who makes the sandwiches and will judge the competition, said the half-sandwich weighs between 2.5 and 3 pounds and includes cappicola, provolone, salami, pepperoni, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, roasted peppers and homemade pinot grigio dressing.
Sciullo, who has won several eating contests, including eating a whole Italian Stallion sandwich, said, “Every fair has an eating contest and we wanted to bring one in.”
Asked about the taste of the Italian Stallion, Sciullo said, “Fantastic.”
Jackson believes the fair previously hosted an ice cream-eating contest but said it has been a while since an eating contest took place here.
Meanwhile, Cory Hoone, 15, of Smithfield, will give a demonstration on turkey calling at 7 p.m. on Wednesday in the Fiddlers Building. Hoone is the National Wild Turkey Federation’s 2009 Junior Division Grand National Calling Champion.
Fair board member Bill Gallagher said, “This is quite an honor for this young man to receive and we as a fair group thought it would be great for him to come with his father and mother and demonstrate turkey calls. Local sports shops will give away prizes. For over an hour, he’s going to demonstrate all kinds of calls and involve the audience by showing them how to do calls.”
Hoone, son of Bob and Melanie Hoone and a sophomore at Albert Gallatin Senior High School, said, “It should be pretty exciting because I’ve never done a seminar like this before. I’ll be teaching the basic calls and a little about safety and equipment and tactics on how to get a bird.”
Hoone, who has been performing turkey calls since he was seven, said of his title, “It was pretty overwhelming and exciting.”
He said people are most surprised to discover there are so many different turkey calls.
“During fall hunting, young birds call and they are so different from birds you hear in the spring.”
In comparison, these young birds don’t have their voice yet in the spring. They just whistle, he said.
Hoone will provide more information at his demonstration.
The fair continues through Saturday, Aug. 8. Pay-one-price admission to the fair remains at $11 this year, while early bird admission is $9 until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The fair also offers some free admission days, available until 2 p.m., including: Sunday, anyone with a church bulletin for the day; Monday, veterans with proper identification; Tuesday, each person donating at least three canned goods; Wednesday, anyone age 62 and older; and Aug. 6, members of a grange with proper identification.
For more information, call 724-628-FAIR or visit online at www.fayettefair.com
.