Fair carnival to be held a week later

Jackson County 4-H kids and others looking to enjoy carnival rides and games at this year’s Jackson County Fair will have to wait until the week after the fair is over.

Jackson County Fair Association secretary Deb Dillner reported Friday that the fair board learned last week that “there was a miscommunication of dates” for the fair carnival, which will be provided again this year by Great Plains Amusements of Rush Springs, Okla.

Due to that “miscommunication,” Great Plains will be bringing its carnival to the Northeast Kansas Heritage Complex south of Holton for four nights starting Wednesday, July 28, rather than during the main week of the fair, which begins Monday, July 19, Dillner reported.

This will be the second year that Great Plains brings its midway to the Heritage Complex. The company provided rides and games for the 2019 Jackson County Fair but did not return last year after the fair board voted to cancel the carnival and the fair parade over COVID-19 concerns.

Dillner said that during Great Plains’ four-night stand at the Heritage Complex from Wednesday, July 28 to Saturday, July 31, the carnival will be open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. each evening with “wristbands” available from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Preparations for the 96th-annual Jackson County Fair continue, with pre-entries due at the Meadowlark Extension District Holton office by Thursday, July 1. The first major events of this year’s fair will be the Jackson County Fair Rodeo on Friday and Saturday, July 9 and 10, and the fair’s dog show on Sunday, July 11.

This year’s fair will also feature the return of the parade and open-class exhibits, which were not part of last year’s fair due to COVID-19 concerns, it was reported.