Area youth who are part of 4-H and FFA play a major role in the Fair, while they get the chance to display their hard work. Nearly 2000 have submitted entries for this year’s Jr. Fair Livestock Auction. Other youth groups involved in the Fair include Future Homemakers, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls and Farm Bureau Youth. Not all of the youth activities involve livestock; be sure to stop by the Youth Building to see what else the kids have to offer.

The Clark County Agricultural Society manages the Clark County Fairgrounds and operates the Fair to provide the youth of Clark County with the opportunity to grow in knowledge and develop character. Fairgrounds Executive Director Allan Hess notes that the Fair is a huge community effort, managed by a volunteer Fair Board that takes on the many logistical challenges of this annual project. Hess himself is a Tecumseh graduate who was involved in 4-H and the Fair while growing up. After living and working in other states and even other countries, he came home and took his current position in 1995. Now in his 16th year with the Fair, “I still love it,” he says.

Hess is pleased by the level of support the Fair receives from the community. He believes that the Fair is a place where people can come “to see youth they can be proud of.” He is confident that among the Fair’s participants are some of our community’s future leaders. One thing Hess would like to see is more involvement by urban youth and families. Although kids living in a city setting might not be able to raise cows or pigs, they might be able to raise a rabbit or get involved in dog training.
The Fair’s entertainment committee, chaired this year by Doug Ayres, works hard to book acts that will appeal to the Fair’s patrons. They often consult with talent agencies to find “up and coming” performers, and have had quite a bit of success over the years booking acts that later went on to national success, including Rascal Flatts and the New Kids on the Block.

This year, entertainment in the Big Tent will include country musician David Nail on July 24; contemporary Christian group The Richard Carey Project on July 25; a Karaoke Contest for teens on July 28 (with the winner going on to open for Randy Travis at the Fraze Pavilion in August); America’s largest country music talent search, the Colgate Country Showdown, on July 29; and local favorite Gene Bowshier on July 30.  

Other attractions will include midway rides, the Fair Queen contest, six nights of motorsports at the track, midway entertainment featuring DockDogs, and many more activities, with the ever-popular Kiddie Pig Chase & Scrambles rounding out the Fair on Friday the 30th.

General admission is just $5, not including rides and parking. Various discounts and multi-day tickets are also available. Monday, July 26 is Family Fun Day, with special $10 “pay one price” tickets that allow a family of four to save up to $44.

The Clark County Fairgrounds, located at 4401 South Charleston Pike, cover 126 acres and have been home to the Fair since 1948. For more information about the 2010 Clark County Fair, visit www.clarkcountyfair.org or call 323-3090.