88th Jackson County Fair in preparations

By Brian Sanders

Young people in Jackson County’s rural areas are shifting their attention from school to 4-H projects in anticipation of this year’s Jackson County Fair, the 88th annual event in which kids of all ages show their best in live­stock, arts and crafts.

The main week of the fair is scheduled from Monday, July 29 through Friday, Aug. 3, according to Jackson County 4-H program manager Cara Robinson, who noted this year’s fair will bring all the familiar sights and sounds that fair­goers throughout the years have come to know and love. But before that big week, 4-H’ers from all over the county will be working hard to get ready for the annual event.

As in previous years, most of the fair’s events will take place at the Jackson County Fairgrounds, lo­cated at the intersection of U.S. Highway 75 and Kansas Highway 16 in Holton. Two of the fair’s main events — the horse show and the rodeo — will be held at the Northeast Kansas Heritage Center south of Holton, where Robinson said she hopes to see all of the fair going on sometime in the next few years.

“We haven’t heard anything lately,” Robinson said of work pro­gress at the Northeast Kansas Heritage Center. “But they’re working on it, and hopefully, in an­other year or two, we’ll be out there.”

One event that was held at the Heritage Center’s Small Exhibit Building last year, the dog show, will be moved back to the Jackson County Fair Building, Robinson noted. The show was held there last year because the Fair Building was booked for a wedding, but moving back to the building this year will give dog show officials access to equipment and the opportunity to run more than one event at a time.

Robinson noted that there will also be a pony pull at this year’s fair. The event is scheduled to be­gin at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 27, at the livestock arena at the fair­grounds.

Apart from that, the fair will have the same schedule as last year, although Robinson said there is one aspect of last year’s fair she hopes will not be present.

“We’re all hoping it’s not as hot as it was last year,” she said.

This year’s fair calendar starts Monday, July 1, when all 4-H pre-entries and open class livestock filings are due at the Meadowlark District Extension Office in the Jackson County Courthouse. Then, on Saturday, July 13, the dog show will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Fair Building, and talent show tryouts are scheduled for Thursday, July 18.

The fair’s first major event is the horse show, which is scheduled for Saturday, July 20 at the Heritage Center’s arena. Then, on Tuesday, July 23, clothing construction, fash­ion revue, visual and fiber arts and photography will be judged at Holton High School.

The annual two-night rodeo, a recent addition to the fair presented this year by the Rafter K Rodeo Company, will be held Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27, at the Heritage Center arena. Back at the fairgrounds, set-up is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 27, with booth set-up slated from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 28, and open class exhibit check-in from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. that same day.

Then on Monday, the fair will kick into high gear at the fairgrounds, where Toby’s Amusements will set up the midway with rides and games for kids of all ages every evening for the entire week. The rest of the fair schedule is as follows:

• Monday, July 29: sheep, goat and hog weigh-in from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.; 4-H and open class check-in from 8 a.m. to noon; foods judging at 8:30 a.m.; food sale at 9:30 a.m.; judging of building exhibits at 1 p.m.; 4-H poultry judging at 2 p.m.; steer weigh-in from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.; photos taken of food champions starting at 3:30 p.m.; Shepherd’s Lead at 5 p.m.; 4-H meat goat show, 5:15 p.m.; 4-H sheep show, 6 p.m.; food auction, 6 p.m. at the northeast side of the fair building; and the Farm Bureau kiddie tractor pull at 7 p.m.

• Tuesday, July 30: 4-H rabbit show, 8 a.m.; 4-H hog show, 8:30 a.m.; photos taken of champion exhibits, 3 p.m.; 4-H beef show, 5 p.m.; and livestock intent-to-sell notices are due within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the beef show.

• Wednesday, July 31: 4-H goat show, 8:30 a.m.; dairy cattle and bucket calf judging, 9 a.m.; bucket calf show, 10:30 a.m. or following the dairy show, with Animals on Parade to follow; Barnyard Olympics with 4-H Ambassadors, 2:30 p.m.; livestock row of champions set-up, 4 p.m.; livestock row of champions in place, 5 p.m.; parade, 6:30 p.m.; Daren and Randy show, 8 p.m.; and 4-H talent show and karaoke with Daren and Randy at 8:30 p.m.

• Thursday, Aug. 1: pet show, 8:30 a.m.; livestock judging contest, 10 a.m.; round robin contest, 1 p.m.; set-up for livestock sale, 2 p.m.; livestock check-out, 2:30 p.m.; open class exhibit check-out, 5 p.m.; livestock sale (meat pens-poultry, rabbits, goats, beef, hogs and sheep), 6 p.m.; and 4-H exhibit checkout, including booths, 6 p.m.

• Friday, Aug. 2: fairgrounds clean-up and watermelon feed, 9 a.m.; presentation of building champions, 6:45 p.m.; and fashion revue, 7 p.m.

The fair schedule is subject to change. For more information, contact the Meadowlark Extension office at 364-4125.