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Mercer County Fair Marketing Director Rachel Ungruhn reveals the upcoming fair's newest attractions and key changes during an insider scoop event on Friday afternoon.
CELINA - Mercer County Fair officials on Friday unveiled a wide-ranging slate of attractions coming to the 2024 fair next month and outlined a few key changes, including moving opening day to a Thursday and a new clear bag policy for grandstand events.
Coming off another banner year in 2023 that saw a record-breaking attendance of 95,000 people, fair officials aim to further entrench the weeklong celebration of community and its proud agricultural heritage as an affair "Where Tradition Grows," which happens to be this year's theme.
The fair will run Aug. 8-14 and launch on a Thursday rather than the traditional Friday opening.
"This will allow our fair to grow and prosper by allowing us to increase our variety with vendors, ride company and more options for quality entertainment thus overall making it a more successful fair for our patrons and sponsors," a fair news release states.
In addition to increased vendor attendance and entertainment options, the new schedule allows all open livestock shows to occur during the weekend, "eliminating the conflict of interest with school activities and sports to better allow … 4-H youth to participate in this show."
Fair marketing director Rachel Ungruhn on Friday drew attention to a new policy requiring that all bags carried by fairgoers into the grandstand and concert areas be made of clear plastic, vinyl or PVS that does not exceed 5 inches by 8 1/2 inches by 2 1/2inches.
The policy comes by recommendation of The Federal Emergency Management Agency and is used by the NFL, noted fair manager Cara Muhlenkamp.
"We want to keep safety at the forefront for all of our patrons," Ungruhn said. "They trust us to keep (them) safe and we want to do that, we want to keep their trust."
Also prohibited in the grandstand and concert areas are coolers, briefcases, non-clear backpacks/fanny packs and diaper bags.
Throughout the entire fairgrounds, purses, backpacks, book bags, coolers and strollers are permitted but subject to search at any time.
Moving on to this year's entertainment, Ungruhn said a pack of lovable sea lions that made a big splash last year, attracting massive crowds before each performance, is coming back to the north side of the beer garden, while the Wheels of Ag Game Show will make its debut just north of the beer garden.
"Everyone loved those," she said of the trio of highly-animated, attention-loving California sea lions which dazzled audiences with an assortment of tricks, dance moves, backflips and soaring leaps.
Wheels of Ag is an interactive game show focusing on such ag topics as local agriculture, animals, plants, food groups, farm and barnyard, music and other sounds.
"That will test your knowledge within the ag industry," she said. "They have a stand booth where it will be like a trivia show and they'll get participants to answer questions, and then they also have a strolling act. So they'll be out on the grounds asking people different questions as well."
Marvelous Mutts, FMX bikes, Bear Hollow Wood Carvers and three concerts have been locked in for this year.
Also in store for fairgoers are rides courtesy of Poor Jack Amusements, carnival games, animals galore, fine art, strolling entertainment, 4H projects and exhibitors and dozens of different food vendors.
A panel of judges will determine the 2024 Blue Ribbon Bites Food Competition winner.
"Last year we had the cinnamon roll lady win," Ungruhn said in reference to food vendor Homestead Cinnamon Rolls. "Those cinnamon rolls, if you have not had them, they are phenomenal. There is a reason she won first place last year."
The fair will once again reimburse the admission fee of patrons who come for lunch Aug. 12-14, a policy cherished by local food enthusiasts who get to indulge a different slice of the culinary cornucopia each day and vendors who enjoy the boost in afternoon sales.
"We are going to keep the lunch special Monday through Wednesday from 11 to 2. If the patron pays $5 they get a little ticket, and then if they leave by 2 p.m. and return the ticket to the ticket both, they get a refund," Ungruhn said. "That gets people in here to enjoy the fair food."
Ungruhn also highlighted other notable events:
• A super-sized serving of southern-fried rock awaits spectators when .38 Special and The Kentucky Headhunters take the grandstand stage on Aug. 8.
"We are ecstatic to bring such an incredible lineup to Mercer County Fair," Muhlenkamp said ".38 Special and Kentucky Headhunters are icons in the music industry, and their performances promise to make this year's fair an absolute standout."
• This year's country concert on Aug. 9 will showcase rising Nashville star ERNEST, a 2022 CMA Triple Play Award winner who's scheduled to open a handful of dates of Morgan Wallen's world tour in September.
ERNEST will be supported on the grandstand stage by Arkansas native Matt Stell, a singer-songwriter who has already racked up over a half a billion streams.
• The annual Christian concert will be held on Aug. 11 with Thrive Worship, the sound of Bayside Church, a non-denominational, multi-campus movement in California, and special guest Worship Anyway. The show is free with paid gate admission into the fair.
It will be held at the community-funded Cornerstone Chapel freshly built by Tri Star students and St. John Builders. There will be limited bleacher seating; attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.
• Among the special discount days are senior citizens day on Thursday, Aug. 8, with seniors 65 and older admitted free with valid ID; nursing home day on Monday, Aug. 12, with nursing home residents admitted free if transported in a nursing home vehicle; and veterans day on Tuesday, Aug. 13, with veterans admitted free.
• The demolition derby featuring over 60 entries is set for Saturday, Aug. 10, harness racing on Sunday, Aug. 11, a veterans ceremony on Tuesday, Aug. 13, DCTPA Truck and Tractor Pulls on Tuesday, Aug. 13, and the high school band show on Wednesday, Aug. 14.
• The Sale of Champions Livestock Auction is set for Wednesday, Aug. 14.
Created to encourage 4-H and FFA members to enter livestock projects, the champion and reserves of the market beef, market hog, market lamb, meat chickens, market goat, turkey, dozen eggs, gallon of dairy milk and gallon of goat milk exhibits are auctioned off, according to fair organizers.
