All’s fair next week for county
Staff writer
Marion County Fair will have no shortage of variety with 63 events listed on this year’s schedule. Festivities, beginning Saturday, are spread out over the next week.
An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 attendees are expected, manager Michelle Hajek said.
The fair proper will begin Tuesday, with 4-H youth checking in for livestock and judging of smaller contests like entomology and photography.
The fair will get in full swing July 23 with a parade at 6 p.m. and 20 events over the course of the day.
“I’ll be a pretty packed crowd down there,” Hajek said. “But we get a good crowd every night.”
July 23 events will include a public style revue in which kids will model outfits they have purchased or made and a silent auction at which 4-Hers can sell homemade food or crafts.
The revue previously was before the fair and didn’t receive as much attention, extension director Rickey Roberts said.
A rodeo, featuring saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, barrel running, calf roping, and breakaway roping, is planned for 8 p.m. July 23 and 24. About seven riders will compete each night, Hajek said.
July 24 will be a good day for livestock enthusiasts. Swine, sheep, and bucket calf shows are planned during the morning and afternoon.
“We won’t show them during the heat of the day,” Roberts said.
The county’s 4-H clubs are integral to the fair, Roberts said.
“If 4-H weren’t there, there wouldn’t be much of a fair, in my opinion,” he said.
Club events influence proceedings when the sun is out, while the fair board is host for larger events after dark. These include the two rodeos, lawnmower and dirt-bike races, and a demolition derby which will conclude the fair at 7 p.m. on July 26.
“It’s exciting to put it on,” Hajek said. “It’s very hectic and stressful, making sure everything goes off without a hitch. And it takes a lot of work behind the scenes.”