Highland County Fair Readies for 67th Year

The 67^th Annual Highland County Fair will take place August 29^th thru September 1^st, and we spoke with Fair Board secretary Kathy Beverage to learn more.

“The Highland County Fair is a non-profit organization, co any of the money collected at the ticket booths goes right back to upkeep and improvements on the grounds, along with offering the fun, educational events, and the entertainment. So, keep that in mind – it’s not just another bill you got to pay to get there, it’s to help the community.

“The admission rate for season tickets went to $25.00 this year – we upped it five dollars more because of our budget. We are just pinching pennies where we can. Anyone under 15 years old is still free, and we’re hoping that this will still encourage families to come. The nightly rate did not change – it is still $10.00 a night for anybody 15 years old and up. And the amusement rides are the same price as last year. Wednesday night is reduced rates, so you can bring your child, and that child can ride for six dollars, all night long.

“This year’s theme is ‘Sew it! Grow it! Show it!’, so we’re hoping that we’ll see a lot of participation in the parade and throughout the fair using our theme. We have an estimated 36 exhibitors showing livestock in the fair this year – we have three market steers, 13 feeder steers, 72 market lambs, 45 market hogs and 21 market goats, plus we’ll have a few pet lambs and bucket calves, so if you like the livestock, there should be plenty to see.

“We certainly welcome exhibits. I’m getting calls about people from out of the county wondering if they can show exhibits in the fair, and, yes you can, and we hope you do. We always enjoy seeing everybody’s talents, whether it be the largest beet to the prized flower, we’d love to see it come to the fair.

“And handicap access, we just want to remind everybody there is parking on the front of the school lot, and that is strictly monitored, so you need to have a handicap license or tag in order to be parked in that area. And we have completed, finally, the new handicap platform, so it’s real nice – you can have your wheelchair, ride right up in, and you’ll have a shelter so you can watch the grandstand events. And also new, due to some great donations, we were able to work on a hog washing area at the fairgrounds, so more people can get in to wash their animals and keep them ‘squeaky clean’, I guess you’d say, and some new fencing there at the barn. So hopefully you notice a few things we’ve done, and like I said, those are mostly through donations, so that’s what’s helped us out with those projects.

“We will not be having fireworks this year – that’s kind of new and disappointing to some people, but, again, we had to cut where we could, and that was on thing we did cut out.

“I would like to remind everyone not to bring your dogs to the fair. Certainly bring them during the dog show, which is on Saturday, but at other times, it’s just a liability for the owner and the fair to have your dogs there, so we’re going to be a little bit stricter on watching that this year. If you have a service dog, you will need to bring papers or some form of certification that they are service dogs. Several people will come up to the gate and say ‘mine is a service dog’, but if you don’t have any proof, we’re probably going to say ‘take it back’.

“If you want to find out details about the Highland County Fair,  go to our website – www.highlandcountyfairva.com. We also have a Facebook page – Highland County Fair Virginia. If you want to talk to someone face-to-face, or by phone, you’re welcome to call 540-468-2225, or, during fair week, our phone number is 540-468-2639.

“We encourage everyone to stop by and enjoy the activities, and come hungry. The cotton candy’s not the only thing that’s sweet – we have a lot of local vendors that offer great food, and at reasonable prices. So, enjoy your evening, it’s fun for everyone, and we hope to see you at the fair.”