Osceola County Fair to focus on livestock, children

EVART – This year's Osceola County 4-H FFA Fair will combine annual activities with new events to showcase the area's 4-H livestock and youth participants. Held at the Osceola County Fairgrounds in Evart, the fair will run from Sunday, July 27, through Saturday, Aug. 2. According to Osceola County 4-H Coordinator Jake Stieg, the fair has always been about bringing families and community members together. "It's all about family fun times. I’m looking forward to seeing the kids complete the projects they've been working so hard on," Stieg said. "We’re all there for a fun time, and it's great to have the kids come.” After a day devoted to setup, this year's fair will kick off on Monday with youth and open poultry and rabbit judging at 9 a.m., a pedal pull in the horse arena at 4 p.m. and the garden tractor pull at 7 p.m. Admission into all grandstand events is $5, and children under 12 are free of charge. Tuesday will feature youth trail class and western riding at 9 a.m., the opening of the amusement park hosted by Family Fun Tyme Amusements at 3 p.m. and a free concert featuring the Detour Band at 6 p.m. in the ODPC Pavilion. All amusement park rides are $1 each on Tuesday, and the regular armband price throughout the fair is $20. The fun continues on Wednesday with the Farm Bureau Chicken Barbecue at noon, youth and open class sheep judging at 3 p.m. and the Truck Pull at 7 p.m. Thursday will offer youth dairy and horse judging at 9 a.m., llama and alpaca judging at 3 p.m. and the heavy weight horse pull at 7 p.m. This is the first year llamas and alpacas have made an appearance at the fair, said Stieg. Friday will feature one of the fair's newest additions, miniature horses. They will be judged along with youth and open class horses and ponies at 8 a.m. The antique tractor pull will take place at 6 p.m. with the market livestock auction to follow at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, fair goers can enjoy the farm stock tractor pull at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. as well as the Agricultural Olympics at 6 p.m. Sunday will follow with clean up and removal of exhibits. Stieg said, in addition to the new livestock categories, the fair continues to grow through the 4-H swine and dairy programs. "We have a very, very large dairy program and it's always a fun one to watch," he said. "The swine program is also really growing. It's a youth fair, and it's a great way to spend time with family." By far the most popular event is the Friday evening market livestock auction, Stieg said. For many local farmers, it is the most important social event of the year. Stieg said the busiest nights of the fair will be Thursday and Friday due to both the small and large animal auctions. Rick Sherman, president of the Osceola County 4-H/FFA Fair Board of Directors, said the fair has a tradition of focusing on the area's youth. "We focus on the agriculture and the kids. We have a great animal show," Sherman said. "We pride ourselves on our kids, they do a fantastic job. Our leaders put on a fantastic fair as well." For more information on this year's fair, visit osceolacountyfairgrounds.com. Main Events Monday: 7 p.m., garden tractor pull Tuesday: 3-10 p.m., Family Fun Tyme Attractions 6 p.m., free Detour Band concert in the ODPC Pavilion Wednesday: noon, Farm Bureau Chicken Barbecue 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Family Fun Tyme Attractions 7 p.m., Truck Pull Thursday: 1-10 p.m., Family Fun Tyme Attractions 7 p.m., heavy weight horse pull Friday: 1-11 p.m., Family Fun Tyme Attractions 6 p.m., antique tractor pull 6:30 p.m., market livestock auction Saturday: 1-11 p.m., Family Fun Tyme Attractions 4 p.m., farm stock tractor pull 6 p.m., Agricultural Olympics 7 p.m., farm stock tractor pull

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