Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
County Fair kicks off Tuesday
Organizers hope to draw bigger crowd by changing start date
FAYETTEVILLE — The Washington County Fair is starting a week early with more rides and new events, organizers said.
“We’re trying to change things up a little bit,” said Kendall Pendergraft, Fair Board president. “We have a really good fair with good attendance, but you know, we always want to improve.”
The fair officially kicks off Tuesday and runs through Saturday. Exhibitors started bringing in rabbits, crafts, vegetables, canned jellies and more over the weekend.
The Washington County Fair draws about 20,000 people annually, and organizers expect that to increase this year after moving it earlier in August so families can more easily attend. The fair previously included part of Labor Day weekend.
The fair includes a new Kids Fest and nightly lumberjack shows. Organizers switched to a different carnival company, which will bring 24 rides for both adults and small children.
Children ages 18 and under can participate in relay races, face painting and a stick-horse rodeo Saturday at Kids Fest, Pendergraft said. Organizers also have beefed up the petting zoo to have more and a better selection of animals, he said.
Exhibits and people planning to show at the fair is up, too, said Cheryl West, Fair Board treasurer. More than 6,000 exhibits will be on display, and pre-entry for animals is 2,000, up from about 1,500 last year.
The fair expects to give out $50,000 annually in ribbon money, West said. The annual 4-H livestock auction brought in about $185,000 for children last year, but the amounts fluctuate, she said.
Fair entertainment wouldn’t be complete without chainsaws outfitted with heavy-duty engines, so two out-of-state logger-sportsmen will compete in the All American Lumberjack Show on the fairgrounds each night, said Jim Fisher, emcee for the show.
“They have souped-up motorcycle engines in their chainsaws,” he said. “You can make a great big old cut in a big old log in like 4 seconds. It’s very entertaining, let me tell you.”
The men will show off cutting, carving, climbing and log-rolling skills. Carvings will be given away, and children get the chance to learn lumberjack skills, including running on floating logs, Fisher said.
“They are going to get wet from head to toe,” Fisher said.
And, corn dogs definitely will be at the fair, Pendergraft said. A mix-up last year left some fairgoers disappointed when they couldn’t find corn dogs before Friday, Pendergraft said.
“Every year we grow,” West said. “There’s definitely going to be something for everyone.”