Fair kicks off Sunday; early spotlight on 4-H/FFA events

    Four-H will be in the spotlight on several early days of the Chase County Fair, which officially kicks off Sunday, and runs until Aug. 15.
    The first official fair week event is Sunday’s 4-H horse show, which has an 8 a.m. start in Allo Arena.
    That’s just the first of many 4-H/FFA events of the fair that continue through Friday.
    Monday morning will feature the 4-H dog and companion animal shows in the open air pavilion, with the afternoon reserved for the 1 p.m. poultry show, followed by rabbits about 4 p.m. in the show barn arena.
    Tuesday is the big entry day for all 4-H/FFA livestock including swine, sheep, goats and beef. Check the schedule for specific times. There is also a market beef ultra-sounding at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday.
     The 4-H/FFA and open class exhibits will be entered from 8 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, with judging to follow. Fairgoers will get their first look at the judged exhibits on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. when the building opens for the first time.
    Wednesday’s 4-H/FFA  swine show kicks off the day at 8:30 a.m., with an 11 a.m. start for the sheep show, followed by goats. All three are in the show barn arena.
    Thursday, Aug. 12, is reserved for the 4-H/FFA beef show. The young showmen will be on first when the show opens at 8:30 a.m. in the show barn arena.
    Friday, Aug. 13, rounds out the 4-H/FFA events with the 8 a.m. rocket show, 9 a.m. round robin contest and the livestock sale at 2 p.m., the latter two in the show barn arena.
    Other 4-H events, including several shooting sports, were held earlier this summer. The 4-H style revue was held Tuesday this week.
Activities build as
week progresses
    It’s not just 4-H and FFA activities early in the week, because the fair board also has a number of other events planned, starting Monday afternoon.
    At 2 p.m. exhibition barrel racing is on the schedule, with the barrel race competition starting at 4 p.m. in Allo Arena.
    Tuesday afternoon will see the return of the popular ranch rodeo, interspersed with bronc riding. After the 4:30 p.m. calcutta, action will start at 5 p.m. with the first round of the ranch rodeo, followed by the first group of broncs, the second ranch rodeo round and more bronc riding.
    Co-coordinator Preston Smith said there were still a few spots open Tuesday for both the ranch rodeo (20 team max) and bronc riding (18 entries max). Contact either Smith, 308-883-8330, or Brock Stromberger, 308-883-6900, to enter.
    DJ music will follow the ranch rodeo/bronc riding in the grandstand area, closing out Tuesday’s activities.

    With the help of many sponsors, fair board members have planned a Wednesday afternoon of free events billed as Pepsi Funday.
    A new event from 1 to 4 p.m. in the arena area will be putt-putt golf. Two mats will be out for putting fun while other afternoon events are happening.
    At 1:30 p.m., youths can start registering for the 2 p.m. turtle races in Allo Arena, while the mutton bustin’ (60 lb. limit for riders) and calf and steer riding registration starts in front of the fair board building.
    Mutton bustin’ begins the competition at 3 p.m., with the frozen t-shirt contest at 4 p.m. in the grandstand area.
    The fair’s Expo opens on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m., continuing through Saturday. On Aug. 14, the expo will open a little earlier at noon.
    Lions Bingo also starts its four-day run Wednesday, operating from 3 p.m. to midnight Wednesday and Thursday, and from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
    The Heart of America Carnival kicks off for four days of rides and games at 5 p.m. Wednesday. In addition to a $59.95 mega-ride pass that provides entry to any ride all week, there are also $30 daily unlimited ride specials Wednesday through Saturday.
    On Tuesday, there were still openings for next week’s cornhole tournament at the horseshoe pits. Organizer Jeff Lempke said two-person teams can still register at 5 p.m. Aug. 11, with bag-throwing to start about 5:30 p.m. The tourney will take a maximum of 40 teams, he said.
    Some of the early printed fair schedules have an incorrect 7 p.m. starting time for the Aug. 11 cornhole tournament, Lempke noted.
    Watch next week’s issue for details on the Thursday to Sunday, Aug. 12-15, fair events.
Ticket sales up for shows
    Sales for the fair’s two grandstand shows Aug. 13-14, as well as the other ticketed events are ahead of some of the fair’s best years, said fair board member Jakob Burke, who handles tickets and marketing.
    Counting sales for the Aug. 13 Hairball/Romero show, the Aug. 14 Granger Smith/Josh Abbott Band show, mega-ride carnival tickets, as well as the tractor pull and demo derby, Burke said they are ahead of sales in the best years for recent fairs.
    He believes this year’s high interest, especially in the two Friday/Saturday concerts, is not just due to excitement for the performers themselves.
    After last year’s COVID effect, he added, “It’s also just to go to the fair and have some normalcy to the summer,” he said.
    Brochures with the week’s schedule are downloadable now on the fair’s website: chasecountyfair.com, Burke said.
    This week, 3,500 brochures will be delivered to selected fair sponsors for distribution.
    The fair is supported by 131 sponsors who annually donate  a minimum of $1,000 up to $10,000 in support, Burke said.
    Donations levels include $1,000 (bronze), $2,500 (silver), $5,000 (gold), $7,500 (platinum) and $10,000 (diamond).
Christian performers cancel
    Due to a COVID case, 3D Gospel cancelled its performance at the fair Aug. 11.