This week and weekend will feature one of Archuleta County’s longstanding traditions — the Archuleta County Fair.
In addition to being the biggest event of the year for 4-H’ers, the fair is also a time to celebrate parts of Archuleta County’s past and present, as well as the talent of our community. It’s also another chance for fun as summer draws to a close.
This year’s fair will be the 74th iteration and, as its motto states, it is a “timeless tradition.”
A huge part of the fair is the celebration of the local 4-H community.
Year-round, 4-H’ers (and their families) work hard and, undoubtedly, pour their blood, sweat and tears into their projects, which range from cake decorating and sewing to research projects and raising livestock.
Throughout the weekend you’ll find showmanship competitions for youngsters and a range of animals, from alpacas to poultry, swine and beef, and more.
The showmanship competitions lead up to some of the biggest and most humorous parts of the fair: Saturday’s 4-H Chuckwagon Dinner and the 4-H Livestock Auction, and Sunday’s parent showmanship competition.
But the fair isn’t all 4-H, and there’s something for everyone.
For generations, community members of all ages have worked hard to create and grow items they later submitted to be judged at the fair, whether as part of 4-H or the open class exhibits.
It’s fun to see what our community’s talented artists, bakers, brewers, gardeners and more put forward, and to see what the judges favor each year. We leave the Exhibit Hall feeling inspired and with more ideas for our ever-growing list of projects and new things we’d like to try.
We encourage everyone to find some inspiration and work toward entering something in next year’s fair.
This year’s fair is also set to include some returning favorites and some new entertainment.
Every year we find ourselves chuckling at perennial favorite Wildman Phil as he presents exotic animals to kids and their parents (and at the reactions of the kids to those animals). The pie-eating contest, which seems to grow exponentially each year, makes for a fun time, whether you’re a participant or spectator. The BMX show will also return this year, with talented riders showing off a variety of stunts.
This year, we also plan to watch That Hypnotist Edward Wunder and watch locals and visitors try their hand at blow-up barrels racing, the nail- and stake-driving contests, three-legged race, corn hole tournament and more. Another new event this year bringing something different to the lineup is the medieval armored combat demonstration.
There are also multiple rodeos throughout the fair that honor the county’s heritage, including the Tough Enough to Wear Pink Rodeo, Open Rodeo and Kids’ Rodeo.
The fair will also feature several live music offerings again this year, with an open mic night Thursday, Bo DePena taking the stage on Friday, and the San Juan Mountain Boys and Brett Hendrix performing Saturday.
We plan on making multiple trips to the fair this year, as we do every year, and hope to see many in our community do the same.
Randi Pierce
>