Plans for Fayette County Fair announced
During the Fayette County Fair preview luncheon fair board member (from left) Ed Stanish, Randy Breakiron and RaeLynn Regula watch a presentation narrated by fair board president Bill Jackson (standing) about activities and events planned for the 2011 fair.
Anouncing the plans at Fayette County Fair preview luncheon for the 2011 fair is fair board president Bill jackson (center) along with fair board member RaeLynn Regula (left) and fair board secretary Linda Rooker.
?DUNBAR TWP. 鈥� The 57th annual Fayette County Fair will feature entertainment headliners that includes The Clarks, country music artist Lee Brice and Confederate Railroad, as well as demolition derbies, Pigs Gone Wild and a carnival.
And, of course, there will be plenty of agricultural exhibits that range from livestock to home economics to horticulture.
The fair will run from July 28 through Aug. 6 at the Fayette County Fairgrounds.
鈥淔irst and foremost, we are an agricultural fair and the entertainment is here to draw people,鈥� Bill Jackson, fair board president, said at Wednesday蘑菇视频 fair preview luncheon, held at the fairgrounds.
This year蘑菇视频 entertainment includes a return of The Clarks, the popular rock band that includes Connellsville native Scott Blasey. They will perform in the outdoor arena, known this year as the Chevron Arena, at 7:30?p.m. Friday, July 29. It will be the second year the group will perform in the outdoor arena, with performer Chris Higbee opening for The Clarks once again.
鈥淭hey are such a big draw. They鈥檙e too big for the Indoor Arena,鈥� said Jackson.
Brice will play the fair on opening night, with a 7:30 show on Thursday, July 28, on the Lady Luck Stage in the Indoor Arena. Brice, who蘑菇视频 hits include 鈥淟ove Like Crazy,鈥� has a new song called 鈥淏eautiful Every Time.鈥� He will perform with guest Steve Smith.
Confederate Railroad, which played at the fair about 15 years ago, will close out the fair with a 8?p.m. show on Saturday, Aug. 6, on the Lady Luck Stage. The winner of the second annual Fayette Idol contest will perform with the group.
This year蘑菇视频 Fayette Idol competition will include a category for teens ages 13 to 17, as well as the category for adults 18 and older. The semifinal round will take place during the fair at 5?p.m. Aug. 3 and the top 10 finalists will compete, beginning at 5?p.m. Aug. 5. Participants must be a Fayette County resident and at least 13 years old.
Other musical highlights that will appear in the Indoor Arena include The McClymonts, a county-western act that features three sisters from Australia, who will appear with Vanessa Campagna at 7?p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30; Satisfaction, a Tribute to the Rolling Stones, performing at 7:30?p.m. Sunday, July 31; and The Fabulous Hubcaps, an oldies band that蘑菇视频 a favorite at the fair at 7?p.m. Monday, Aug. 1.
The Family Area will continue to feature Pigs Gone Wild racing pigs, the Barn Yard Petting Zoo, R&S Wood Carving and IGX 鈥� Interactive Game Experience, which will run all 10 days of the fair.
Jackson said, 鈥淚 would venture to say this is the longest, continuous pig racing show of any fair. Nancy Herring started it and my daughter Jill continues it.鈥�
Other Family Area acts will include BMX Donnelly, which features bicycle stunts, and Dis-Connected K9s, dogs that play with Frisbees. Both acts will appear the first four days of the fair. The last six days will feature Vicenta蘑菇视频 White Tigers and the return of the popular Elephant Encounter.
Barney of Mayberry, an impersonator of Barney Fife from television蘑菇视频 鈥淭he Andy Griffith Show,鈥� will stroll the grounds and hand out tickets in the evenings Aug. 1-4, while Jerry Brown, the Monkey Man, will return to stroll the grounds and interact with fair-goers the evenings of July 28-31.
John Blaney, fair board treasurer, announced the Chevron Arena will offer its first show before the fair opens with a tractor pull at 6?p.m. Wednesday, July 27. The fair will present three nights of demolition derbies that will take place at 7?p.m. Thursday, July 28, and Tuesday, Aug. 2, and at 6:30?p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6.
The rest of the lineup will include: a garden tractor pull at 9?a.m. and Truck-A-Rama 4脳4 truck pulls (gas, diesel and pro street gas) at 6:30?p.m. Saturday, July 30; motocross will take place with races beginning at 5?p.m. Sunday, July 31; semi- and tri-axle truck, posse, semi-truck pulls and pro stock tractors will compete at 7?p.m. Monday, Aug. 1; monster trucks will return at 7?p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3; Boys & Bulls Rodeo is slated for 7:30?p.m. Aug. 4; and a horse-pulling contest at 11?a.m. and Mud Mania will return at 7?p.m. on Aug. 5.
The 4-H Benefit Auction will be held at 6?p.m. Friday, July 29 in the Youth Building, while the 4-H Livestock Auction will take place at 5?p.m. Aug. 5 in the Indoor Arena.
Fireworks are scheduled for 9:30?p.m. Sunday, July 31. Great Powers American Midways Carnival will run all 10 days of the fair.
Pay-one-price admission will remain at $11 this year, while early bird admission will be $9 until 4?p.m. on weekdays. There is no early bird admission on the first day of the fair, which will officially open at 6:30?p.m. First-night events will include the fireman蘑菇视频 parade and fair queen contest.
Advance tickets are $8 and will be sold at various locations from July 5-27. The fair also offers free admission on certain days until 2?p.m. They include anyone bringing a church bulletin for that day on Sunday, July 31; veterans with proper identification on Monday, Aug. 1; anyone donating at least three canned goods on Tuesday, Aug. 2; senior citizens ages 62 and older on Wednesday, Aug. 3; and grange members with proper identification on Thursday, Aug. 4. The free admission does not include the carnival and Chevron Arena shows, but upgrades can be purchased at the fair office.
The preview luncheon included an invocation by fair board member RaeLynn Regula and remarks by Jessie Ross, 2010 fair queen, and Sarah Scully, 2010 fair princess.
Walt Bumgarner, director for the Penn State Cooperative Extension, spoke of the strong relationship between the fair and 4-H.
He also drew attention to the Pocket Flag Project, which will take place in the Youth Building throughout the fair and is a partnership with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Fair-goers can write messages to the troops that will be attached to pocket-sized flags that will be sent to the military. The fair has a goal of sending 1,000 flags.
鈥淚 think it蘑菇视频 a wonderful project and I think we鈥檒l get more than 1,000 flags,鈥� Bumgarner said.
More information is available online at www.fayettefair.com or by calling 724-628-FAIR.