Big night
It’s back, and by all accounts, better than ever.
It is the Fayette County Fair. Observing its 60th anniversary, the fair will get underway tonight and run through Aug. 2 at the Fayette County Fairgrounds on Route 119 in Dunbar Township.
The fair is the biggest annual event in the county, normally attracting around 100,000 people over it’s 10-day run.
It takes a tremendous amount of work to hold the fair every year, with 300 volunteers, including 100 committee workers and 13 members of the fair’s board of directors.
They all deserve our thanks for their hard work and dedication to the fair. Simply put, without them, there wouldn’t be a fair. Bill Jackson, the fair board president, also deserves some extra kudos for all his hard work during the entire year. He can certainly tell you that being a fair board president is much more than a one-week or a one-month job.
The main goal of the fair is to promote agriculture, and there certainly will be plenty of that at the fair with exhibits of all sorts of farm animals and numerous 4-H competitions. But there will also be plenty of fun with a plethora of musical performances, amusement rides of every kinds and the ever-popular demolition derbies, tractor pulls, motocross, monster trucks, mud mania and rodeo.
The fair wouldn’t be complete without such long-standing traditions as the pig races, the fair queen pageant, fireworks, the petting zoo and home economic contests. It’s the 25th anniversary of the apple pie and chili competitions.
The various food booths keep people coming back year after year with such tasty treats as sausage sandwiches, gyros, funnel cakes, french fries, pizza and foot-long hot dogs available.
The fair will also feature traditional entertainment staples such as The Fabulous Hubcaps oldies band and The Clarks rock band.
However, as usual there will be some new attractions at the fair. This year’s musical performances include The Swon Brothers, who competed on NBC TV’s talent competition “The Voice,” Frankie Ballard, a country performer who has opened for Kenny Chesney, and The Return, a Beatles tribute act.
Also new this year to the Family Area are comedy act El Gleno Grande and the educational Pennsylvania Farm Bureau Mobile Ag Lab.
For information about the entrance prices and so forth, see the fair’s website at http://www.fayettefair.com. Also be sure to check the Herald-Standard for a full schedule of the next day’s events.
All in all, this year’s fair should be another great event with something to offer for everyone.
In a world where we spend too much time with our noses in iPads and DVRs, it’s good to spend an evening (or two) enjoying some good old-fashioned fun. We all get caught up in the hustle bustle of the day-to-day, but what makes the fair so special is that since it only comes around but once a year, it is a reason to carve out some time to spend with your family.
Whether your kids are little and ready to see the fair for the first time or your kids are all grown up and would be reliving all their favorite memories, we can’t think of a better way to spend a summer night. Keeping with this year’s theme of “Treasure the Memories,” you and your family will certainly want to create some new memories of your own this year at the fair.
So, make your plans to attend the fair now. It will be over before you know it.