The Montgomery County Fair kicks off Saturday with the annual parade at 5 p.m. with a week of activities planned to follow from August 14-19. The parade will begin at the Mount Ida High School campus and will follow a path that weaves its way past the courthouse square. All organizations and individuals are encouraged to enter and participate in the parade. Participants can enter floats, horses, bicycles, or anything in between. Participants in the upcoming beauty pageant are strongly encouraged to ride in the parade. Following the parade, pageant entries will conduct interviews at 7 p.m. at the fairgrounds with a closed swimsuit competition for the older girls scheduled afterward. Sunday will be filled with preparatory work and the rodeo queen competition. Participants in the poultry competition will bleed chickens from 1-4 p.m. and Participants in the antique tractor competition will be registered from 1-5 p.m. The Rodeo Royalty competition will begin at 5 p.m. Participants in the exhibit building can set up booths Monday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. The Montgomery County Fair Pageant will be held Monday night with competitions set to begin at 6 p.m. Contestants will compete in eight classifications. There will also be a photogenic category in each classification, and one overall people’s choice award. Tuesday will be a busy day for volunteers as exhibit contestants are scheduled to submit entries in ever category except horticulture, flowers and baked goods. Exhibits are to be submitted from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Tuesday. All livestock will be entered Tuesday from 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, baked goods, horticulture and flowers will be entered from 8-10 a.m. Judging in the exhibit buildings will proceed at 10 a.m. The public will get their first opportunity to view the exhibits Wednesday evening from 3-8 p.m. The annual Kid’s Day event will be held Wednesday beginning at 4 p.m. All kids are encouraged to participate in old fashion fair games. Ribbons will be awarded to participants. Rabbit judging will begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by Dairy Cattle, Goats and Swine judging at 5 p.m., and Power Wheel Derby at 7 p.m. The Exhibit Building will be open from 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Senior Citizen Bingo is scheduled from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Thursday with Sheep and Beef Cattle judging set to begin at 5 p.m. The Pee Wee Livestock Show will be held Friday at 4:15 p.m. Creative arts Best of Show photos will be taken at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by the livestock auction at 10 a.m. The livestock auction will begin with a live auction, followed by Junior Livestock auction, Poultry Chain auction. No county fair would be complete without a carnival and a rodeo. Montgomery County Fair Association is proud to welcome back Marriott Amusements to the midway. The midway will be open Wednesday through Saturday. Arm bands are available for $15 each at Bates Sales and Service. They must be redeemed Wednesday, or Thursday. Tuesday, August 15th will be the last day to purchase arm bands at a discounted price. Hammertime Rodeo Company will bring their bucking broncs, steers, calves and rowdy bulls to the fair Friday and Saturday, August 18-19. The rodeo will begin at 7:30 p.m. each night and there are mutton busting competitions scheduled each night. For more information regarding the Montgomery County Fair pick up a copy of the fair catalogue at the Montgomery County Extension Office, or the Montgomery County News Office. For more information on the pageants, or to get an entry form please contact: Jennifer Barrett (479) 216-2176, Lisa Simpson (870) 334-2814, Christie Kennedy (870) 223-2390, Kathy Gossett (870) 867-5084, or Jalyn Hackney (870) 490-1868.
