The Montezuma County Fair returns July 27 with a few new events in addition to the traditional 4-H Club contests.
An evening car race will kick off the weeklong fair at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds, followed by 4-H shooting sports the next day and livestock judging starting July 30.
Kids Day, a popular family event last year, will return Aug. 1, and the new Fair Board has scheduled new events as well.
Board member Kelly Comisky said the major additions this year include a concert by country singer Richie Law and the fair’s first ATV rodeo.
Law, a Colorado Springs musician and former finalist on American Idol, will perform at the fairgrounds Aug. 2 in a concert after the crowning ceremony for fair royalty. Although the fair has hosted musicians before, Comisky said it’s been several years since it included a full concert. His band includes Chuck Lawson and Ken Setser on guitar, Martin Feldman on bass and Jim Trotter on drums.
The ATV rodeo is a contest scheduled for July 31 in which participants use two-, three- and four-wheelers to perform the kind of barrel racing patterns usually done by horses. Comisky said it was organized by a parent group, like many of this year’s events.
“A lot of families stepped up this year,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of help and a lot of support.”
Other new events this year will include a water fight put on by the Lewis-Arriola Volunteer Fire Department, and a dummy roping contest for all ages.
Comisky also said about 16 food and craft vendors have signed up, in addition to the 4-H concession stand, which raises money for the program.
Comisky said the Fair Board decided to bring back Kids Day because of its success last year. Emergency services personnel will give demonstrations for children, including one with a helicopter, and volunteers will provide other family-friendly activities throughout the day.
The county 4-H program will hold all its usual contests, Director Andrea Jeter said. Last year, about 213 students competed, but this year only 203 are enrolled in 4-H, and Jeter said several haven’t turned in projects. But she also said certain contest categories are more popular this year than before, like sewing and quilting.
“It’s nice to see those actual life skills on display,” she said.
She said one of her goals is to encourage 4-H members who want to pursue projects outside of the animal-raising contests that have traditionally made up most of the county’s programs.
Since “not everyone can have livestock,” she said, 4-H leaders across the country have recently been working to develop more contests in non-agricultural categories like robotics.
The county fair is free to the public, although a few events, like the Aug. 2 concert, do require ticket purchases. Concert tickets, which cost $10 per person, can be found at the fair’s new website, www.montezumacountyfair.com, along with entry forms for several non-4-H contests.
Demolition derby tickets will be available at the entrance before the event starts on Aug. 4.