The 2024 Boyd County Fair Kicks Off This Week
Grace Phillips
The Ashland Beacon
Since 1991, the Boyd County Fair has been a constant in the area. The final touches are being added to this year’s fair which begins Tuesday, Augst 13 and will run through August 17. Fair president, Ellen Keaton tells us, “We strive to have something for everyone during fair week … music, motor sports, pageants, wrestling, horse shows, a rodeo … not just carnival rides.”
We kick off the fair on Tuesday night with a $20 carload night or $35 for a church van. Everyone must be in a seat belt and will receive an armband for the carnival rides. The fun will include a mullet contest, hula hoop contest and glow dance party. The evening is being sponsored exclusively by Pathways.
The music this year will feature Gospel and Bluegrass. Keaton continued, “We are very excited to bring Bluegrass Music back the fair this year with special guest Hammertowne, on Thursday, August 15.” Hammertowne creates their hard driving sound with one foot in the traditional arena and the other in the progressive arena that is reflected in their original songs they write and perform. Also appearing will be Charlie Woods and Deep Hollow.
Gospel night is moving to Friday this year. The special guest will be the Singing Cookes. For more than 50 years this family has been spreading the gospel with their unique family sound. Keaton says it has been several years since the Cookes have been in the Ashland Area. Lee Dean as Elvis and Johnny Cash will close out the musical entertainment for the fair on Saturday night. The musical entertainment will be inside the air-conditioned building.
Motor sports are always a crowd favorite at the fair. “We are so excited this year to announce a brand-new event to our fair. Thursday night will feature Auto Cross.” Keaton continued, “many of the fairs in Ohio have done Auto Cross for years but it will be new to our area.” The night gets underway at 7 p.m. Tri-state Power Sports is the exclusive sponsor for the Auto Cross.
Other events returning to the fair include the Demolition Derby on Friday, Aug. 16 and motocross, August 17. Information on registration, rules and classes can be found at boydcountyfair.com under motor sports. The final night of the fair will bring the thrills of bull riding and barrel racing with the King Brothers Rodeo on August 17.
Guest can enjoy a special attraction this Friday and Saturday night called Agri Golf. Agri Golf is a 9-hole mini golf course. The course will be open during fair hours with special games throughout the evening. Play all you want free of charge.
There are several horse shows planned for the week including a speed show and an Alumni show. There are also several livestock shows with a chance for the youth to showcase their animals. You can find all the show bills and information on horse shows at boydcountyfair.com.
The Boyd County Fair is a 501c3 nonprofit that is ran totally by volunteers. Brenda Phelps tells us that one of the biggest hurdles the fair faces each year is a lack of volunteers. “To put on a fair of this size, it takes so many people. We struggle each year to have enough volunteers in place to make the fair flow smoothly.” Christy Utley who has been with the fair for the past eight years said, “It’s a crazy week and everyone is tired at the end of the day, but it is also very rewarding to see all the smiling faces and a successful event.” If anyone is interested in being a volunteer for a day or the entire week, they should call the fair at 606.585.0514.
“We want to be sure to thank all our business sponsors for their support. We spend about $40,000 on events and entertainment for the fair. We could not have any of that without these sponsors. You can find them on our Facebook page and website.” Keaton explains.
You can follow all the events and details at boydcountyfair.com or on Facebook. For specific questions or information call Ellen Keaton at 606.922.6622.
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