Annual Four States Fair gets underway today
The Four States Fair and Rodeo, which runs today through Sept. 17, is summarized in one word—fun.
Even the promotional descriptions are fun.
Read these:
“It’s a corn dog. Show hog. Talent show and rodeo. Live bands, street dance, cotton-candied romance.”
“It’s bumper car, Tilt-A-Whirl, thrills for every boy and girl. Deep fried, on a stick. Bacon wrapped— so take your pick.’
“An extreme bull ride, big fun slides. Demolished cars and cowboy stars.”
“A fun pass deal. A Ferris wheel. More midway at game than you can name.”
“It’s 10 nights of big bright lights. A festival of sound and sight. Memories that never fade and don’t forget the big parade.”
“So grab your boots, come on let’s go. But no shoes that are open toed.”
“It’s fun for everyone you know.” “We are very excited about the upcoming fair and rodeo. This will be our 73rd year. We have several old favorites returning and some new and exciting things happening this week on our grounds. A big part of what we do here centers around the youth, that is our end goal, where everyone who visits our grounds leaves the worries at the gate. My favorite part of the fair is the ‘Livestock Kids.’ There are no kids like show kids,” said Lisa Barr, chief operating officer for the Four States Fair and Rodeo.
The entries have again increased to include:
669 head of junior
596 head of open cattle
500 junior market swine
132 junior market lamb
175 junior market goats
1,000 entries in home arts and fine arts departments.
“We are super excited about the growth in our livestock exhibits. Our fine arts and home arts areas are finally growing,” Barr said.
Midway amusements will be provided by Wright’s Amusements with lots of carnival rides and games, she said. It is the longest running carnival in North America with more than 55 years of experience, according to the company’s website.
“We will have Wright’s Amusements on our midway bringing in lots of great carnival rides and games. This year we called the show owner and asked him for a few old favorites, and he answered he is bringing in a Tilt-A-Whirl and bumper cars.
“We haven’t had bumper cars in several years and I know that has always been a crowd favorite. Of course, we will have the usual rides. One of the things that many people do not know about Wright’s Amusements is that they have two carousels on their grounds because the smaller version in the back of the carnival is the original carousel that has been in their family for over 55 years,” Barr said.
The Ram PRCA Rodeo will again be presented by Pete Carr’s Rodeo and Classic Pro Rodeo.
“We will have ‘Xtreme Bulls’ and PRCA Rodeo will be Sept. 14-16. Andy Stewart will return as our announcer and Troy ‘Wild Child’ Lerwill will be our specialty act,” Barr said.
“We will also have a few new attractions this year, such as an exotic zoo area, parakeet area and camel rides. There will be a small fee for the feed and rides. The carnival will sell armbands for $30 per day for unlimited rides. We will have some special days like the opening weekend will be Texarkana Emergency Center weekend at the fair—$30 armbands for unlimited rides after you purchase your gate admission—$7 adults and $5 children (5 & Under are free),” she said.
Sunday will be Senior Citizens Day where all seniors will be let in for free that day. Tuesday will once again be Taste the Fair Tuesday, where each food vendor will have a sample of their products for $2 and there will be $2 rides on the midway.
Visit the Ag Learning Center for free ice cream and educational exhibits. The last weekend will be Farmers Bank & Trust weekend at the fair, where they will sell $30 unlimited rides armbands. We still have the fun pass on sale for $75 and unlimited gate admission and unlimited rides. You can also check our Facebook page for information and daily specials, Barr said.