It’s nearly here—Chase County Fair!

    It’s just around the corner—that week in August around which nearly everything and everyone directs their attention.
    It’s the Chase County Fair.
    Fair board members are busy finalizing all the details as the fair officially kicks off Sunday.
    This year’s theme is “Here’s to the Chase County Fair—Cheers!”
    Flags will go up Thursday along the fairgrounds walkway in recognition of the more than 140 sponsors that support the fair, said board member Jake Burke.
    Those sponsors are key to the fair’s success, Burke said.
    The sponsors will be in the spotlight Friday at the fair’s yearly Wrangler Roundup dinner at the Nutrien Event Center on the fairgrounds.
    Sponsors are invited to this annual meal as a thank-you, Burke noted, and 500 are expected for the steak dinner.
    “And, yes, we are serving steak again,” Burke noted, even with the increased expense.
    “We want to treat our sponsors well. Without them, we wouldn’t have the fair we do,” he said.
    The meal will be co-catered by Zoetis, a livestock pharmaceutical company well-known in the area, and Casey Francis. Personnel from Zoetis are grilling the steaks, while Francis is making all the sides and dessert, Burke said.
    A comedian/hypnotist will entertain.
    The sponsors will also be enjoying a larger, less crowded VIP section at the two concerts Aug. 12 and 13. Cement is finished on the new VIP area on the north side of Allo Arena.
    Much of the first few days of the fair are centered around the 4-H/FFA livestock and animal shows.
    The first of those, the horse show, starts Sunday at 8 a.m. in Allo Arena. Twenty-four youths will be competing in the day’s events.
    Monday will see the rabbit, poultry and companion animal shows, Tuesday is entry day and Wednesday has the swine, sheep and goat shows scheduled. The beef show rounds out the shows next Thursday, Aug. 11.
    Numbers for the swine and beef shows are at the top for both participants and animals entered.
    Wednesday’s swine show will have 32 exhibitors and 60 hogs in the market divisions, topping all the shows for participation.
    Wednesday afternoon will feature a variety of family-friendly events including turtle races, mutton bustin’, frozen T-shirt contest, opening days for the carnival and Lions bingo, capping off with the Christian show featuring The Girls Next Door in the open air pavilion.
    Monday and Tuesday nights will be focused on Allo Arena, where barrel racing, bronc riding and the Ranch Rodeo are scheduled.
    See the attached schedule of events, on page 2, for more details on the first four days of fair.
    Concert ticket sales continue to be on pace for a record-breaking year, Burke noted.
    In recents weeks, three songs by entertainers Scotty McCreery, Ernest and Tyler Braden have been among the top five most-listened to country songs on Pandora, Burke said.
    Braden will open for 38 Special on Friday, Aug. 12, while McCreery and Ernest are set to perform Saturday, Aug. 13.
    Tickets and other info is available at chasecountyfair.com.
Earlier dog show
moved indoors
    A number of 4-H events are already in the books. The shooting sports and clothing day are finished, and this year, the 4-H dog show was moved to Monday this week.
    Extension Educator Debbie Kuenning said the dog show was moved up a week to allow more time for each small species’ show—dog, poultry, rabbit and companion animal.      “The dog and poultry shows have grown larger, making it difficult to have them on the same day and give full attention to the show,” she said.
    Having the dog show on the Monday before fair week, and inside the Nutrien Event Center, worked out well.  
    “We didn’t feel rushed to finish and were able to utilize more of the fairgrounds since nothing else was being set up or needed the space,” she added.
    The move also allows the Extension office to have the rabbit and poultry shows in the cooler part of the day on Monday, as hot temperatures are hard on the rabbits, she said.