COUNTY
FAIR
In the mood for the bright lights, cotton candy, arts
and crafts, 4-H animals, music, dancing, and rodeo
kind of fun? If so, this year’s Dawson County
Fair and Rodeo scheduled from Aug. 6 through 10 is
the place to go.
Events
early in the week offer the opportunity for relaxing
strolls through the fairgrounds. Wednesday is a day
for horse lovers, with the open class horse show.
Also, halter and performance-class judging will run
throughout the day. This will be the fifth year of
the Dawson 100 Club offering a tasty Santa Maria Barbecue
in the evening on Wednesday and it’s a great
way to kick-off a few days of eating out at the fair.
Thursday
is the 4-H horse, showmanship and interview judging.
All entries for 4-H participants, such as photography,
cooking, crafts and other projects, also take place
that day.
The
free stage, available Friday through Sunday, offers
fair goers the opportunity to take a break from strolling
and enjoy a bite to eat while watching the entertainment.
The
Fun Time Carnival will have games and rides set up
and ready to go Thursday evening with lots of rides
for children and the young at heart. There will be
enough thrills and chills to satisfy anyone with the
carnival continuing through Saturday evening.
Friday
is judging day for others who wish to enter their
arts and crafts, flowers, grains, culinary delights,
and much, much more. Entries and exhibits will be
accepted until 9 a.m. and judging is set to begin
at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend the judging
of the exhibits.
Judging
of 4-H beef, lamb and hogs will also take place Friday.
The 4-H members are judged not only on the quality
of their animals, but also on how well they show the
livestock. Both the youngsters and the livestock are
well-groomed and on their best behavior.
For
rodeo enthusiasts, two action-packed professional
performances will take place during this year’s
fair. The rodeo is scheduled for Thursday and Friday
night. After the Friday night rodeo, there will be
music and dancing to continue the fun.
Rock
‘n’ roll entertainment is planned for Saturday
night with a concert by Firehouse and L.A. Guns. Tickets
may be purchased in advance or at the fair office
the night of the show.
Sunday
afternoon brings the very popular Ranch Rodeo. Local
ranchers test their skills in an afternoon of competition
including cow hide races. That’s one you have
to see to believe!
The
residents of Dawson County take pride in their fairgrounds
and there have been many improvements made in recent
years, including the completion of a new grandstand
four summers ago. Commercial exhibits can be found
in the area beneath the grandstands, a great place
to take a break from the summer sun.
Improvements
have continued with the addition the Nelson Pavilion
in 2003 and the construction of a new fair office
and new vendor booths in 2005. In 2006, new windows
were installed in the exhibit building. A new chain
link fence and Dawson County Fair sign were also installed.
A 2007 project added white tin with red trim to the
exhibit building.
As
always, everyone — local residents and visitors
alike — is invited out to the fairgrounds for
some old-fashioned family fun.
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