From The Chairman

6 | Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Isle of Wight Fair Guide

From the Chairman

To our Fair Friends and Family:

On behalf of the entire Isle of Wight County Fair Committee, I would like to cordially invite you to our International and Statewide award winning 29th annual County Fair. The Committee has planned another great event this year to honor and celebrate our community. The theme for this year is “Stars and Stripes in Isle of Wight” to commemorate the Isle of Wight County Fair Committee’s commitment to bring you a patriotic salute to its deep and strong agricultural heritage. We are looking forward and hoping for this year’s fair to be our best yet!!!

We have two events for an early kick-off to the fair again this year, with our very popular and exciting Truck and Tractor Points Pull the night of Saturday, September 10th and the wonderful and delicious Seafood Fest on Wednesday, September 14th featuring all you care to eat fried catfish, steamed shrimp, fried chicken, coleslaw, baked beans, hushpuppies and beverages, with entertainment by local band “Hickory Knoll.”

We are also excited and so very happy to have three new buildings this year in place of the three largest tents where we house the agricultural and livestock exhibits; they are the Field and Garden Building, the 4-H Show Building and the Poultry, Rabbit and Livestock Building. The buildings can now be utilized all year long for various events in lieu of tents for just a few days!!

There are quite a few new and exciting things at the fair this year in addition to a few of the great attractions we have had in past years. We are bringing Southwest Dairy Farmers Mobile Dairy Classroom back this year, where they will be doing educational milking demonstrations over by the Field and Garden Building. Laser Tag is coming back and best of all, it is free to the patrons. Another returning and popular attraction we are having this year, is Axe Throwing, a great experience indeed. The Demolition Derby is back again on Sunday afternoon, a now prevalent event to our fair! The ever-popular Hay Bale decorating contest continues where round bales of hay are decorated by the schools, various businesses, and a few individuals. This year, fair attendees will be able to get admission tickets cheaper if bought online in lieu of at the gate!!! Please visit our website at thefairiscoming.com for more detail.

The fair is also bringing back the excitement of “Bull Riding” and “Barrel Racing” along with “Mutton Bustin” and “Mini Bull Riding” at the Rodeo arena with real cowboys!! In the Field and Garden Building, our local farmers and gardeners can compete for best crops, and the little ones can play in a corn /soybean box. In partnership with the Isle of Wight Schools, there will be goats, rabbits, chickens and maybe even a heifer or two, where they are showcasing their Project Based Learning farming skills. Our local 4-H folks will feature a feeder pig, heifer show, goat show, and ham competitions in the 4-H Show Building.

Be sure to visit our International Award Winning, Agriculture Education Center, a donated grain bin that houses flat screen tvs with various videos featuring planting, growing and harvesting a variety of farm crops and the raising of livestock including birthing of animals. If you watch closely, many of the videos feature some of our local area farmers. In that area is a farm life wall mural that the children will be able to color and fill in and various games. Outside, they will be able to shell some corn on an old antique corn sheller, milk a cow in our Farmer for a Day display, and play to their hearts content in the huge sand box out in front of the center. Four ground acts are planned this year including a new and different than the past, motorcycle show “Majestik Spectacular” with many, many stunts, jumps and even a high wire! Another new show this year is “The Ninja Experience,” a show where the ninjas perform extreme stunts, testing their strength, agility and even involve members from the audience. Returning is “Cowboy Circus” an incredible interactive and educational experience, a walking and roaming act involving all members of the family. New this year is the “Firefighter Training Show,” a family oriented educational show and entertaining kid event where they will be invited to participate.

We have a fantastic entertainment lineup, with performances of several genres, on either the Duke Automotive Stage or the Barton Ford Stage almost the entire time the fair is open. On Friday night, we are having “Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles” an award-winning Eagles tribute band headline with opening act “Main Street.” On Saturday night will be country singer and songwriter, Frankie Ballard, national recording artist with chart topping songs such as “You’ll Accomp’ny Me,” “Young and Crazy,” “It All Started with a Beer,” and “Helluva Life.” Be sure the checkout Frankie Ballard headline with opening act “Griffin Lane.” We have many popular regional and local bands entertaining on both stages, including The Mullins Sisters, Cross Over Band, Runnin’ Shine, and on Sunday during the car show, there will be the Whiskey River Band!!

Deggeller Attractions will be here to provide a large variety of midway rides for all ages. We will have twenty-four food vendors (mostly local) to provide a huge variety of wonderful fair food, to satisfy almost any appetite. There will be Antique Tractors and equipment, Monster Truck Rides, the Car Show, Facepainting and Camel and Pony Rides. Thursday night is carload night where admission and ride tickets for up to eight legally seated in a car is $50.00 if bought online in advance ($55 at the gate), a very good deal for families. Friday is school day with special group rates and Senior Day where School Kids and Senior Citizens get in between 10 am and 2 pm for $1.00. We have started offering a discount rate for our Special Needs community on Friday as well. Guests with special needs plus 1 companion/caretaker can get in between 12 pm and 4 pm for $1.00 each. Sunday is Military Appreciation Day. Guests with a valid military ID can get $5 off regular admission. New this year will be the option to buy ride wristbands for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for $22.00 for any one day if bought in advance. If bought at the fair, they will be $25.00 for Friday and Sunday and $30.00 for Saturday.

As you can see, it is nearly impossible to do everything at the fair. It is this Fair Committees’ sincere desire that this year’s fair will be the most unforgettable and funfilled family entertainment for our community, with a celebration of our agriculture heritage and a bit of education thrown in. We certainly hope you come to visit us and make the most out of what our fair has to offer. Welcome and enjoy every single minute of the “Stars and Stripes in Isle of Wight” at the 2022 Isle of Wight County Fair!

Fair Committee

Members of the 2022 Isle of Wight County Fair Committee are, front from left, Jenilee Hallman, Yvonne Munson, Debbie Braswell, Danny Byrum, Shannon Turner, Shannon Gavin, Michelle Billups, Tasha Hedgepeth, Jennifer Bracy, Regine Walme-Edwards and Mark Edwards; back row, Kim Garrett, Ronnie Byrum, Allen Brown, Phil Bailey, Robie Claud, Theresa Woodall, Billy Goodman, Laurie Gust, David Smith, Donna Claud, Kirk Jones, Jamie Pearce and Kevin Bowman.

Sincerely, Danny Byrum, Chairman, Isle of Wight County Fair

12, 13 & 14 November 11, 12 & 13

$8 One Day \ $12 Two Day Children $5 \ Strollers Free