Jul 3, 2008

The Douglas County Fair will be held next week, July 10-12, with a full slate of activities planned each evening. New at the 2008 fair will be Son-Shine Amusements which will provide the carnival on the midway. The new equipment and entertainment provided by D.J. and Tammy Jones are sure to be a hit with young and old alike. Thursday, July 10, has been declared Youth Night from 5 to 10 p.m., with ride wrist bands available for $11. Also on the Patio Stage that evening will be the traditional Denim Gals queen contest and the Stick Horse contest, beginning at 6 o’clock. Also starting at 6 o’clock on Thursday will be the draft horse pull, which will be held in the lower arena and track area. Truck and mini-rod pulls will be held at the lower arena area on Friday night, July 11, beginning at 6 o’clock. There will also be live music on the Patio Stage that evening, beginning at 7 p.m. On Saturday night, the ever-popular Saturday Night Smash Up demolition derby will be held in the main arena, beginning at 6 p.m. The derby will offer a $2100 payoff to winners in the feature event. There will also be a powder puff immediately following the feature, if there are sufficient entries. Registration deadline for the demolition derby is July 10. Pre-entries should be sent to Angela Bingham, 710 E. Jordan, Mansfield, MO 65704. Pre-entry fee for the derby is $30 for driver plus $5 for co-driver. Pre-paid entry fee for the power puff is $25. After deadline entry is $35 for driver and $5 for co-driver. The truck and mini-rod pulls on Friday night will feature classes for both 2-wheel and 4-wheel drive trucks. For registration information, contact Steve Sellers at 417-543-3440. Brand new to the fair this year is the Halflinger Pony Pull which will be held on Thursday night, July 10. Entry fee is $20 per team, with a $1,000 payback being offered, along with trophies for the first 10 places. For information about this event, contact Jim Howell, 417-867-5551 or Don Nash, 417-683-5792. Complete rules can be found in the 2008 Douglas County Fair Book. The Denim Gals queen contest has categories for girls ages 5-18. A petite princess, princess and fair queen will be crowned. In addition, the Stick Horse contest is open to boys and girls, ages 4 and under. Final entry date for the Denim Gals and Stick Horse contests is July 5. Entries should be mailed to: Douglas County Fair, PO Box 1152, Ava, MO 65608. Beef cattle will show on Thursday, FFA, 4-H and junior exhibitor judging will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, and dairy cattle will show on Saturday. There will also be a stock dog demonstration at 7 p.m. Thursday. Following the junior show on Friday there will be a junior meat goat show at 2 p.m. and a junior sheep show at 6 o’clock. The dairy cattle show will be at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by the junior dairy goat show. Open shows will follow the junior shows. A round robin master showmanship competition will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday. Gate admission will be $5 per person ages 13 and over. On Thursday, kids 12 and under will be admitted free. Adult admission on Friday and Saturday nights is $5, with kids 12 and under paying $1. Ride wrist bands on Friday and Saturday nights will be $13. Parking is free throughout the fair.