Dutchess County Fair opens Tuesday
The Dutchess County Fair opens Tuesday with big plans for a six-day run that includes a Woodstock-themed horticulture exhibit and concert by rock band Daughtry but keeps at its core the values of small communities.
The fair will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Sunday at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds on state Route 9G. General admission tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for senior citizens military personnel, and free for children 11 years old and younger.
While major stars and nationally known themes are planned, the most important events are those that connect the 2019 event with Dutchess County fairs that date to 1809, which connected people to farms and agriculture.
“We’re a place where...people can walk away knowing something they didn’t know before as far as teaching people about ag
riculture and where their food comes from and how important farming is to this community and to the world,” fair spokeswoman Vicki Imperati said.
Fair officials are seeking to emphasize the simple life of days gone by with displays at Antique Museum Village, Bentley One Room Schoolhouse and the Pleasant Valley Train Station.
“The Antique Museum Village at the Dutchess County Fair plays host to exhibits from the time period
1870” through the 1920s, officials wrote. “These exhibits are meticulously displayed to show how our ancestors from this time period worked and played.”
There are also events at all good county fairs that seek to mystify an audience. Among the daily performances at the Dutchess County Fair will be “Hands on Horses: An Interactive Equine Experience” featuring Craig Karges as a mentalist who officials note “combines the art of magic with the science of psychology and the power of intuition to create the impression that nothing is impossible.
Tables float, minds are read, metal bends and your imagination is challenged because you won’t believe your eyes.”
Grandstand concerts, all starting at 7:30 p.m., include:
• Lanco on Tuesday. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the gate.
• Dylan Scott with the Cadillac Three on Wednesday. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the gate.
• Locash with special guest Ross Ellis on Thursday. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the gate.
• Daughtry on Friday. Tickets are $37 in advance and $42 at the gate.