Beauty pageants, talent show, music highlight week at local fairgrounds SFC Fair begins Monday; midway opens Wednesday
The St. Francis County Fair returns next week for its annual run at the Wiley T. Jones Fairgrounds on Highway 1 south of Forrest City.
Volunteers have been busy over the past several months making plans for the event that features beauty pageants, a talent show, gospel singing and home-cooked meals at the Kountry Kitchen.
The Kountry Kitchen will be serving its noon meals Monday through Saturday. On Monday, the meal will be chicken spaghetti, and on Tuesday, it will be chicken and dressing. The Wednesday lunch will be meat loaf, with chicken and dumplings served on Thursday. Fried chicken will be served Friday, with Saturday’s meal being a barbecue plate. The price on the meals, which include meat, two vegetables, a roll, dessert and tea, increased to $12.50 this year due to inflation, according to fair officials. The Kountry Kitchen will not serve breakfast this year.
The fairgrounds opens to the public on Monday, allowing residents to enter items into various competitions showcasing work over the past year. Entries may be made between 2 and 7 p.m., on Monday, and from 8 to 10 a.m., on Tuesday in art, photography, canned foods, sewing, arts and crafts, apiary, household arts, knitting and crochet, truck crops and field crops.
Farm Bureau is once again sponsoring a $100 award for a visual arts entry that best represents agriculture, whether it be a painting, drawing or photography.
The main exhibit building will be closed for judging at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Entries may be made in this year’s flower show, “Jungle Bungle,” at the horticulture building from 1 to 7 p.m., on Tuesday, and from 8 to 9:30 a.m., on Wednesday. Pre-registration in all design classes should be made with entries chairman Teresa Shannon by Monday, Aug. 29.
On Wednesday, entries may be made in livestock and poultry categories from 8 to 10 a.m.
Cockrill’s Country Critters is returning this year with its petting zoo and free pony rides for children. The animals are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday.
This year, Cockrill’s will also be bringing a pair of camels for which rides will be $5 each. Fair officials said the rides are normally $10, but this year the fair association is paying half of that cost. Each camel will be able to carry four children at a time. The camel rides will be available on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 2 and 3.
Bingo for senior citizens will be held on Wednesday, from 2 to 4 p.m., in the dining room at the Kountry Kitchen.
The fair midway will open on Wednesday, beginning at 5 p.m., with armbands $20 each. The armbands will be $25 Thursday through Saturday.
Two categories for little boys have been added to this year’s beauty pageants, which begin Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday, at 6 p.m., the Baby Miss, Wee Miss, Tiny Miss and Little Miss St. Francis County Fair pageants will be held along with the Baby Stud and Wee Stud pageants for boys.
The Junior Miss, Teen Miss, Miss St. Francis County Fairest of the Fair pageants will be held on Wednesday evening, also starting at 6 p.m.
Participants are asked to wear “Sunday best” for the pageants. The Miss SFC Fair contestants will compete in both formal wear and sports wear.
The pageants are sponsored by Jr. Auxiliary of St. Francis County. The entry fee for the pageants is $25 and must accompany the entry forms which can be found in the SFC Fair tabloid or online at www.thnews.com.
Rehearsal for the pageants will be Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m., on the main stage.
The youth talent contest will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday. The entry deadline has been extended until Tuesday, Aug. 30.
There is a $10 entry fee for the talent show that will feature categories of vocal solo, vocal group, instrumental solo, instrumental group, dance solo, dance group and variety.
Gospel music will be featured on the main stage on Saturday, from 7 to 9 p.m.
The show will see performances by Sophia and the Heavenly Sounds, Felicia and the Supreme Angels, The Delta Jubelaires and Pastor Austin Hill & Renewed.
Admission to the fairgrounds is $2 for children up to 12 and those 55 and over, and $3 for all others.