By Jacob Lange
NKyTribune intern
Boone County’s 4-H and Utopia Fair organizers are geared up for another successful year filled with fun events, shows, and pageants.
The fair, which officially takes place August 3 through August 9 at the Boone County Fairgrounds in Burlington, will feature live music, laser tag, horse shows, rides and more events for people of all ages.
Fair week activities actually begin Saturday, August 1, with the Fishing Frenzy from 1 p.m. to 3p.m. This catch-and-release event is for children 15 years old and younger. The event showcases fishing as entertainment while educating the younger generation on the sport.
Red Dragon Laser Tag, a free event that is featured every night of the fair, also starts Saturday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Motor Sports arena. Beginning Monday laser tag hours are 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. in the arena.
“The Boone County fair is a place for people to come together and reconnect,” said John Walton, president of the Boone County fair board. “We try to present events interesting to people of all ages.
The fair also features a full complement of midway rides. The ride schedule for the fair is Monday through Friday, 6 p.m. until closing and Saturday, 1 p.m. until closing.
Monday, August 3 marks the start of the fair’s 4-H events with the sheep show at 8 a.m., followed by the goat show at 1 p.m.
The first night of the fair concludes with one of the many demolition derbies that take place throughout the week, as well as the Western Pleasure Horse Show starting at 7:30 p.m.
A highlight of Tuesday at the fair is the Miss Boone County beauty pageant at 8 p.m. The day will be filled with unusual contests that allow fairgoers to show off their prowess in bubble gum-blowing, hot dog-eating, sunflower seed-spitting and the frog jump.
The frog jump competition begins at 7 p.m. and is one of the fair’s most popular events.
The competition has been going on for 25 years according to Gary Anderson, the Boone County Fair Board member in charge of the event. Contestants of all ages are able to participate with everyone receiving a ribbon at the end. Each frog will jump three times before being measured, with prizes for first, second, and third place as well as for the frog with the shortest jump.
Wednesday the fair will host a wide variety of animal shows and beauty pageants throughout the day. The day begins with the 4-H Horse and Pony show at 8 a.m. with registration starting at 7 a.m. Also at 8 a.m. the annual 4-H Rabbit show begins, and the annual Poultry show starts at 5 p.m.
The Little Mister and Miss Beauty Pageant, in which only Boone County residents may compete, will be contested Wednesday at 6 p.m. Contestants for this pageant must be between the ages of 5 and 8 and will be judged as a couple with prizes going to first through fifth place.
The Miss Teen Pageant will begin at 8 p.m. and contestants must be between the ages of 13 and 16. All contestants must be full time students and prizes will be awarded to those in first through fourth place.
The KOI Truck and Full-Size Vehicle Drag Races take place Wednesday evening starting at 7 p.m. This event will play host to 19 different classed races and will be contested in an elimination format.
Thursday the fair will host the annul 4-H dairy show at 8 a.m., along with the beef contest which begins at 2 p.m. At 7 p.m., the Truck Tug-of-War event, with $10 admission and $25 to enter a vehicle is contested.
Friday the fair hosts the annual Youth Tractor Pedal Pull at 5 p.m., with a weigh-in 30 minutes earlier. The children will be divided into different classes based upon their weight, with cash prizes going to those who finish in first through fourth place. The night concludes with one of the fair’s many Open Horse Shows, beginning at 8 p.m.
Saturday, the fair will host the Farm Tractor Pulling contest beginning at 9 a.m. The event includes two weight classes, a 6,000 pound light weight class and the 8,000 pound heavy weight class. The entry fee for the event is $15 and the winners will be determined among the contestants that pull the dead weight of sled and load 10 feet.
Saturday also features the annual Stake Horse Show and the Country Classic Showdown. The entry fee for the Stake Horse show is $25 but cash prizes will be awarded to the horses coming in first through fourth place in all of the seventeen different classes.
The Country Classic Showdown is a team event for those ages 10 and older, and is filled with different games and activities. The event starts at 8:30 p.m. with registration 30 minutes earlier. The entry fee for each team is $10 and cash prizes will go to the teams in first through third place. Some of the games that will be played include a 3-legged race, an egg carry, and a wheelbarrow race.
The fair also features a variety live music every night in the pavilion.
Fairs have been a part of Boone County history for more than 160 years, according to the Boone County 4-H and Utopia Fair website. A four-day event known as the Boone County Fair, was hosted by the Boone County Agricultural Association in 1854.
The first Boone County 4-H and Utopia was hosted in 1932 as part of the 4-H and Agriculture activities of the University of Kentucky Extension program.
The Boone County 4-H and Utopia Fair is located at 5819 Idlewild Road in Burlington.
For information on fair admission, pay-one-price rides, or for a complete list of activities and events, clickhere
Jacob Lange is a senior journalism major at the University of Kentucky