139th annual Stevens County Fair kicks off Wednesday
MORRIS - The 139th annual Stevens County Fair will kick off in Morris on Wednesday, Aug. 8.
Two new events to the fair this year are a candidate forum sponsored by the Stevens County Farm Bureau and performances by the Green Fire Irish Dance Troupe.
The Green Fire Irish Dancers will be performing on Thursday, Aug. 9 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The group is one of the first Irish dance groups to dance to modern music, and have performed around the state. Their performance was possible with funding from Minnesota's Legacy Grant program.
The Stevens County Farm Bureau will be hosting a candidate forum for national and state level candidates hoping to represent Stevens County on Saturday, Aug. 11 from 4 to 5 p.m.
The forum will be moderated by Minnesota Farm Bureau President Kevin Papp.
Confirmed participants on the national level include Representative Colin Peterson (D) and his challenger Lee Byberg (R). In state races, both candidates vying for the District 12A seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives are confirmed - Scott Dutcher (R) and Jay McNamar (D). Candidates for the District 12 Senate race have also been invited.
Commodity groups, county commissioners and school board are invited to submit questions for the candidates. The board will choose questions from those submitted.
The annual Fair Supper will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Lee Community Center. The supper is free with the purchase of a fair button. The supper will feature barbecue pork and roast beef sandwiches from the Stevens County Pork Producers and the West Central Cattlemen.
Winners of the Kiwanis' Talent Show will offer entertainment during the supper. At 6:20 p.m. there will be a drawing for a trip for two to San Francisco. All fair buttons have a number listed on the face - the holder of the button with the number drawn will have 24 hours to claim the trip.
Other prizes will be given out during the fair. All winning button numbers will be posted outside the fair office.
Wednesday is also open entry day. Entries can be submitted to the Open Class building between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The grandstand will be as busy as ever. There will be fireworks Thursday night, the Enduro Race on Friday at 6:30 p.m., the Buffington Rodeo on Saturday at 7 p.m., and the Bank of the West Demo Derby on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
There will also be many free events scheduled throughout the far, including an exotic animal zoo, magic shows, and music from the Fuzzy Dice Band, Sherwin Linton, DC Hawk Band, Electric Almighty and Fuze.
Exhibits and commercial vendors will also be on display. There are three different stages plus the judging area for 4-H events each day.
For more information about the Stevens County Fair visit http://www.scfair.net/.
