‘Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights’ county fair runs through Sunday
Following in the footsteps of other summer festivals this American anniversary year, this week’s Hamilton County Fair has adopted an America 250 theme for its 155th edition Thursday through Sunday. Under the banner “Stars, Stripes and Summer Nights,” the fair will feature patriotic salutes, such as the Quilts of Valor presentation on Sunday afternoon, as well as fairgoer favorites, new events and a few schedule changes from previous years.
Hamilton County Ag Society board member Christina Dose says a new and exciting addition to the fair this year will be the Tough Trucks competition on Sunday evening at 5 p.m.
“One of our board members, Jason Fry, is running it,” Dose said. “I think there’s two or three different classes that you just bring in a vehicle and you run an obstacle course as fast as you can. There’ll be jumps and running around, and then there’s going to be a monster truck called Night Life coming that will do some tricks at the end.”
Noting that her kids are excited to see the monster truck, Dose said as part of the America 250 theme, veterans and active military members will get in free to the event. She said because Sunday is Family Day, kids will also get in free and the price has been lowered to just $5 for adults on Sunday as well.
After last year’s absence due to a scheduling conflict at the Hall County Fair, Dose said the popular Trailer Races will be returning on Saturday night as well. The annual Demolition Derby is set for Thursday evening at 7.
This year’s concert on Friday night will feature Texas Country and Red Dirt music favorites Stoney LaRue and Mike Ryan, and Saturday night will feature the southern rock sounds of Steven Bankey and the Flatland Band under the tent at 9 p.m.
Entertainment will also be provided at the fair by Professor Bubbles who will stroll around the fairgrounds making bubble creations. A caricature artist will also be on hand this year again as well.
Schedule changes
There has been some rearranging this year in terms of the various livestock and animal shows at the fair, according to Dose. Most notably, the poultry and rabbit shows have been moved to Thursday morning and the Livestock Auction has been moved from Saturday to Sunday.
“Saturday’s so busy, and then the Hog Show’s getting so big that it was a rush,” Dose said. “It’s like Hog Show, then the kids had to turn around and do their showmanship testing and all of that, and then, ‘boom,’ Livestock Auction. So we moved that to Sunday.”
The rest of the show schedule includes the Dog Show Tuesday morning, followed by the Cat and Companion Animal Show that afternoon; the Sheep and Goat Show Thursday morning at 8 a.m.; the Beef Show Friday morning and the Swine Show Saturday morning.
Once again this year, the York-Hamilton County Cattlemen will be hosting their grilled steak meal at the fair on Saturday from 5-7 p.m. The group will again be serving grilled sirloin strip steak sandwich meals that include chips, baked beans and drink. There will also be a grilled hamburger meal for those who prefer that. All the meals will be served for a free-will donation under the tent in the middle of the fairgrounds. Carnival rides and games will once again be provided by DC Lynch, and Dose emphasized that wristbands for rides will only be available at the DC Lynch ticket booth on the midway.
Fair weather
The weather forecast for fair week has been up and down with some sites calling for another heatwave toward the end of the week. However, Dose said it’s been hot before and fair organizers are prepared for whatever the weather.
“We’ve done it before, it’ll be fine, we’ll make it work,” Dose said. “There’s always cold beverages and fans, and the Farr Building has air conditioning, so we’ll make it work. We always do.”
The full fair schedule can be found at hamiltoncofairgrounds.org or at the “Hamilton County Fair (Aurora, NE)” Facebook page. It is also printed elsewhere in this edition.