Welcome to the Haywood County Fair
Warm summer days and cool fall nights are the gateway to a fun mountain weekend at the Haywood County Fair! Enter something in the fair this year to see if you can win that coveted blue ribbon. The following pages have entry categories to show your crafty side, baking skills, or largest pumpkin. We’re excited for the fair this year and excited to have you enter.
Happy Fair Days!
Sally Dixon
Haywood County Extension Director
Gate Admission
$8 adults per day
$6 ages 6-12 per day
Ages 5 and under free Tickets sold at the gate, cash only. (Midway rides not included in gate admission)
Hours of Operation
Thursday - 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday – 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturday – 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday – 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A ractions at the Fair
• Viewing Zoo — Daily
• Captain Jim is Magic — A Stellar Show of Variety (Magic, Comedy, Dance, Audience Participation, Epic Music, Fun Facts of History and Family Value Messages
• Sky High Skyler — 9 Foot Tall Stilt Walker — Strolling Act around Campus.
• First Bite Fishing — Catch & Release Fishing Tank
• Face Painting — Daily
• Food Trucks — Daily
• Crafters Lane — Daily — Apple Orchard Building
• Exhibits — Daily — Apple Orchard Building
• Ole Smokey Tractors — Daily — Near Burley Barn
• Rodeo — 7 p.m. Friday — Arena
• Tractor Pull — 9 a.m. Saturday — Arena
• Concert — By “American Made,” 7 p.m. Saturday — Arena
• Clogging — 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturday Dogwood Building
• Dog Demo Day — 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Saturday Burley Barn
• Truck Pull — 1 p.m. Sunday — Arena
Competitions at the Fair
• BINGO Night — 6 p.m. Thursday — Doors open at 5 p.m. — Dogwood Building
• Scarecrow Competition — Bring on Entry Day (Tuesday, September 23) — Will be displayed throughout grounds for duration of fair.
• Baked Goods Judging — 10 a.m. Saturday — Apple Orchard Building
• Tractor Pull — 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday — Arena
• I am Breathtaking Pageant — 11:30 a.m. Saturday — Dogwood Building
• Ice Cream Eating Contest — 1:30 p.m. Saturday — Dogwood Building
• Power Wheels Demolition Derby — 3 p.m. Saturday — North End of Arena
Bands and Clogging Groups:
Branded Heart • Bailey Mountain Cloggers
Balsam Mountain Cloggers Green Valley Cloggers and Southern Appalachian Cloggers
ENTERTAINMENT
• Truck Pull — 1 p.m. Sunday — Arena
• Horse Show — 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct 4 — The horse show is an official part of the fair, but has grown so much that it’s now held on the following Saturday. The show is designed to promote good-natured competition and foster an environment where riders encourage, support and cheer for each other.
F Love of Community
Sam Smith’s lifelong dedication leaves a mark on Haywood
provided a special opportunity to the agriculture community, which is what we’ve tried to do.”
Nowadays, when Smith finds himself cruising down Crabtree Road, he’ll gaze over at the fairgrounds with a deep sense of pride and accomplishment.
“Well, I think, ‘That’s something I had a part of,’” Smith smiled.
eserving a adition
The Story of the Haywood County Fair
When it comes to the rich, vibrant history of Haywood County Fair, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone as passionate and knowledgeable on the subject as Alex McKay.
“I think what people here now take for granted is that, for so long, Haywood County was farming and agriculture,” McKay said. “And a lot of that is physically disappearing.”
Sitting in Smoky Mountain Coffee Roasters in the Hazelwood neighborhood of Waynesville one recent morning, McKay sips his cup and flips through historical photos of the Haywood County Fair.
“My family has been here for so many generations,” McKay said. “And I grew up with all of those stories about everything that’s happened here. I cared and I listened to the stories. It meant something to me.”
Over the years, he’s been able to track down and collect the priceless images. For McKay, whose family goes back seven generations in Haywood County, farming is a deep symbol of pride for his family.
“My people were mountain people. We were farmers,” McKay said. “My grandparents were big producers at the tailgate market back when it was on Main Street [in Waynesville]. We did beans, corn, peppers and tomatoes, all kinds of varieties.”
McKay grew up around farming, with the fair being the one anchor point of the year for the entire local agricultural community. Beyond the produce entries in the competitions, McKay also retains fond memories of
his mother and grandmother entering the quilt contests.
“Everyone looked forward to the fair, especially the
farmers,” McKay said. “They’d learn new techniques and new equipment would be shown.”
The first Haywood County
Fair, which took place in 1905, was held in a large field off Sulphur Springs Road in Waynesville. Beyond the
Materials courtesy of Alex McKay.
exhibition tents, vendors and activities, there was also a horse racing track (where betting was allowed) and an elaborate parade that went around town.
experience for those used to horseback or simply walking to get somewhere.
And yet, the wildest spectacle was the balloon ascension in 1908 and 1909. With a professional inside the balloon, it would ascend upwards of 3,000 feet into the sky above the fairgrounds,
“People would bring Revolutionary War relics and Civil War relics,” McKay said. “But, the biggest part of the early fairs were the new innovations that came to the mountains for the first time.”
Of those new inventions presented to the general public in our region included the first car and first airplane (which was brought to the fair by train) to be seen in the mountains of Western North Carolina. Locals even got to ride in the car, which would have been a surreal
only to purposely explode, with the demonstrator parachuting back to earth.
“[The demonstrator] popped [the balloon] and parachuted down,” McKay shook his head in awe. “And back then, I can’t even
imagine how primitive the parachutes were.”
According to McKay, the balloon demonstration was apparently done every single day of the fair when it was showcased.
“It’d be wonderful [today]
to see a balloon go up 3,000 feet and have a guy jump out of it,” McKay chuckled.
Throughout the early decades of the fair, there were many gaps in when it actually occurred and was able to happen. Between World War I, the Spanish Flu, Great Depression and so forth, the fair would take a backseat to pressing matters of the day.
But, by the mid-1930s, the fair returned, this time taking place near the Waynesville Country Club. For many decades, there were livestock shows that would hold the place of the fair.
“The fair is the whole county’s history, and it brought people together,” McKay noted. “Back in the early days, people didn’t leave the mountains very much, so the fair was the biggest thing that happened right here.”
The modern-day version as we know it would not be set in place until the early 1990s when the fairgrounds (now Smoky Mountain Event Center) was constructed. Since then, the fair has remained a beloved annual tradition for locals and visitors alike, with the gathering currently celebrating its 120th anniversary.
“The fair will always bring us together,” McKay said.
Cultivating Beauty
Alan Arrington’s dahlias shine at the Haywood Fair
If you’ve ever attended the Haywood County Fair and browsed the agricultural and produce competitions, chances are you’ve seen and admired Alan Arrington’s champion dahlias — the plants themselves now the stuff of legend around Western North Carolina and beyond.
“It’s one of those things where you sort of get out of them what you put into them,” Arrington said in a modest tone. “If you’re really going to be competitive in showing [flowers], you’ve got to have the right data, and you’ve got to put some work into them.”
Arrington started growing his prized dahlias about 25
“It’s one of those things where you sort of get out of them what you put into them.”
— Alan Arrington
years ago. Back then, he had a friend who was growing them. Arrington became fascinated with the picturesque plants, soon dabbling himself in trying to raise the most aesthetically-beautiful flower
he could.
“I just kept growing and started showing,” Arrington noted. “And just one thing led to another.”
Arrington has always had a green thumb, planting and cultivating all kinds of plants over the years. But, it was the dahlias that became his main focus as time went along. Eventually, he began entering competitions.
“If you’re going to have a good [dahlia], they have to be [constantly] pruned, fertilized and nurtured, so to speak,” Arrington said.
Arrington noted that there are seemingly endless varieties of dahlias, whether it be in size (from the size of a quarter to 15 inches across) or color (the only color not in the
dahlia realm is blue).
“There’s no blue, but just
Arrington chuckled. “With the variation in them, if you can’t find one [dahlia] you like, then you just don’t like flowers.”
As well, dahlias have a fairly long blooming period.
“I’m getting some blooms now by about the middle of July up until the first frost,” Arrington said. “I have blooms up until about the second week in November. It depends on where you live and when you get a frost.”
In a recent competition, Arrington entered a prized dahlia he named after his wife, Marsha, which has become — for obvious reasons — one of his most favorite varieties he’s grown. Beyond that, Arrington also sends the seeds from these champion plants to the American Dahlia Society, so that they can grow, observe and add his plants to their classification book.
“When you go to your garden and one of your seedlings is blooming, you’re the first person to ever see that bloom,” Arrington said with a sense of pride in his voice. “That’s the first bloom of that variety that’s ever been. And it means a lot to me. It’s interesting.”
Family and Fellowship
Courtney Smith keeps the spirit of the Haywood Fair alive
As far back as she can remember, Courtney Smith has been involved with the Haywood County Fair.
“I was a year old when I did my first livestock show,” Smith chuckled. “And I showed [sheep, pigs and calves] for 18 years at the county fair until I aged out [of the competition].”
Nowadays, Smith is the fair director and the agricultural
fair and the livestock show that Smith has carried with her throughout her life has now been passed down to her three young boys. The two oldest have shown sheep, goats and calves at the competition. The youngest (almost two years old) will hopefully soon join his brothers to compete.
“It’s really special to me to see my kids show,” Smith said.
teacher at Pisgah High School. Growing up on a family farm, Smith is well-versed in the work ethic and pride involved in the agricultural community, something showcased each year at the fair.
“When you’re working in the farming community, you don’t get to see a lot of people a lot of the time,” Smith noted. “So, [the fair] is the one time [each year] that you get to see everybody.”
That genuine love for the
“[Showing] was something that you kind of work for. You go out in the spring, you pick a calf, you start feeding it, working with it, and caring for it to show at the fair — that’s the end goal.”
Beyond the community and academic avenues Smith finds herself in through the fair and the school system, there remains a deeply-held belief in the importance of maintaining agricultural traditions.
“It’s really important
to continue to promote agriculture,” Smith said. “And to continue to involve our young people, because they’re the future of not only agriculture in this county, but of our fair and the continuation of the [farming] industry.”
Smith has numerous students from Pisgah who show at the fair each year, something that really brings together her passion for education and for agriculture. To note, Smith also restarted the 4-H Livestock Club last year, with almost a dozen local families now involved in the meetings and workshops.
“I’m able to share those [agricultural] things with my students [at the fair],” Smith said. “And there are new 4-H
[students] who didn’t know anything about showing, and now we’re getting them excited to show this year.”
As fair director, Smith aims to have the fair circle back to its origins, which is the showing competitions, whether it’s livestock, produce, homemade goods or artisan crafts — what matters is tradition.
“My whole goal for the fair is to bring it kind of back to the roots of what a county fair should be,” Smith said. “To bring the best of what you have produced that year and show it off, and be proud of it. To me, the roots of the fair is to promote agricultural products and to keep those traditions going.”
Courtney Smith as a youngster at the fair.
Entry Rules & Regulations
• Entry intake for all exhibit categories (excluding livestock and the youth/ adult baking contests) will be Tuesday, September 23, at the Dogwood Building of the Smoky Mountain Event Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Pre-registration is not required. Day-of entries will be accepted ONLY during intake times.
• Judging of exhibits takes place on Wednesday, September 24. The public is NOT allowed to be in attendance during this time. Entries and ribbons can be viewed when the Haywood County Fair opens to the public at 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 25.
• Livestock show entries will be due PRIOR to the Haywood County Fair. Those procedures and dates will be listed in the section of the fair book “Division VI: Livestock.”
DIVISION I – EXCEPTIONAL PERSONS EXHIBITS
Exhibits created by adults with Developmental Disabilities
CLASS A
4500Baskets
4501Floral Arrangements
4502Needle Crafts
4503Pottery
4504Wood Working
4505Painting
(All art work must be mounted and ready to hang. Frames are not required.)
4506Sketches
4507Baked Items
4508Crochet or Knitted Items
4509Photography (See Division IV ‘Photography’ for requirements)
4510Painted Rocks
4511Recycled Art
4512Other Crafts
CLASS B – SPECIAL PERSONS SHOWMANSHIP SHOW
Friday, September 26, at 6 p.m. Sponsored by the McLeod Family, and Pisgah High School FFA.
**There is no cost to enter the special show, no experience required, all ages welcome, animals are provided. Please call (828) 593-8330 to register, no later than September 6th**
• The Youth and Adult Baking Contests will be on Saturday, September 27th. Registration and entries will begin at 10 a.m. in the Dogwood Building of the Smoky Mountain Event Center. The baking contests will begin at 11 a.m. and held are concurrently.
DIVISION II – FARM EXHIBITS
DEPARTMENT A
AGRONOMY & HONEY
CLASS A – FIELD CORN
CLASS B – CURED HAY
CLASS C – SILAGE
CLASS D – TOBACCO
CLASS E - LARGEST
CLASS F – HONEY
DEPARTMENT B
GARDEN SHOW (HORTICULTURE)
CLASS A – VEGETABLES
CLASS B- FRUITS (PLATE DISPLAYS)
DEPARTMENT C
PLANTS AND FLOWERS
CLASS A – ARTISTIC ARRANGEMENT
CLASS B – DAHLIA
CLASS C - ANNUALS
CLASS D - PERENNIALS
CLASS E - POTTED PLANTS
CLASS E- DISH GARDEN
• Baked goods entered into the Haywood County Fair are not returned to exhibitors. The entries are sold in a bake sale after the baking contests, with proceeds that benefit Extension programs.
• Entry pick-up for all exhibits (excluding livestock and the youth/adult baking contests) will be Monday, September 29, at the Dogwood Building of the Smoky Mountain Event Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. All entries not picked up by 6 p.m. will become the property of Haywood County Cooperative Extension.
• Premiums will be handed to exhibitors’ day of pick up or release from the fair. Premiums not collected on the day of pick must contact the Smoky Mountain Event Center. If you have any issues with fair premiums, please contact the Smoky Mountain Event Center.
DIVISION III HOME ECONOMICS
DEPARTMENT A – LIVE-JUDGED BAKING CONTESTS
Baked goods entries should be delivered to the Dogwood Event Center at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 2h, for live judging. **PIE PLATES AND OTHER CONTAINERS MUST BE DISPOSABLE!!!!!!!**
Take home a slice of the fair! Following the baking and pie contests at 10 a.m. Saturday, in the Dogwood Event Center there will be a bake sale where you can purchase the delicious homemade entries.
KING ARTHUR FLOUR BAKING CONTEST
PRIZES:
• 1st place overall: $75 gift certificate to the Baker’s Catalogue/kingarthurflour.com and $25 cash prize
• 2nd place overall: $50 gift certificate to the Baker’s Catalogue/kingarthurflour.com and $15 cash prize
• 3rd place overall: $25 gift certificate to the Baker’s Catalogue/kingarthurflour.com and $10 cash prize
SPECIAL RULES: Exhibitor must use King Arthur Flour in his/her recipe and is required to bring the opened bag of
King Arthur Flour or submit a UPC label from the flour bag when he/she submits the entry. Exhibitor chooses his/ her own recipe for pound cake & biscuits. All entries must be submitted on a disposable container (such as foil wrapped cardboard) and covered with plastic wrap for judging.
• Class A 2200 Traditional Pound Cake
• Class B 2201 Cake of the Year
• Class C 2202 Biscuits
DOUBLE CRUST APPLE PIE CONTEST
SPECIAL RULES: Exhibitor chooses recipe. Crust must be made from scratch. Main ingredient must be apples, however other fruits or nuts may be added.
Class E — Double Crust Apple Pie Contest (King Arthur is not required for the Apple Pie contest)
NEW CONTEST CATEGORY FOR 2025!
SWEET OR SAVORY HAND PIES
The ‘FrankLynn’ Award, sponsored by Marilyn Fausti
PRIZES:
1st (blue)$30
2nd (red), $25
3rd (white), $20
What is a hand pie? — A hand pie is basically a miniature pie that fits in your hand. It can be sweet or savory and is made by placing a small amount of filling onto a circular (or rectangular) piece of pie dough, folding the dough over, and sealing it shut before baking.
Recipe required with entry Pie filling and dough must be made from scratch
Each entry must have 12 pieces that are 4-6 inches in length
Disposable pans or trays only!
DEPARTMENT B
FOOD PRESERVATION
CLASS A – CANNED FRUITS (PINT OR QUART JARS)
CLASS C – PRESERVES
CLASS D – JAMS, BUTTERS, CONSERVES, MARMALADES
CLASS E - JELLY
CLASS F – JUICES & SYRUPS
CLASS G – PICKLES AND RELISHES
CLASS H – SAUCES, CATSUP, AND VINEGARS
CLASS I - MEATS
CLASS J - DRIED
CLASS K – FIVE JAR EXHIBITS
DEPARTMENT C
QUILTS & SEWING
CLASS A – QUILTS
CLASS B – SEWING
DEPARTMENT D FIBER ARTS
CLASS A – KNITTING
CLASS B – CROCHETING
CLASS C – WEAVING
CLASS D – NEEDLEWORK & EMBROIDERY
DEPARTMENT E
HERITAGE CRAFTS
CLASS A - RUGS
CLASS B – BASKETRY
CLASS C – WOODCARVING
CLASS D – OTHER HERITAGE CRAFT
DEPARTMENT F
MODERN CRAFTS
CLASS A - CERAMICS / POTTERY
CLASS B - JEWELRY
CLASS C - WOODWORKING
CLASS F – GENERAL ART
CLASS G – RECYCLED CRAFTS
CLASS H – PAPER CRAFTS
CLASS I – OTHER CRAFTS
DIVISION IV – PHOTOGRAPHY TRADTIONAL & DIGITAL
NEW PRESENTATION EXPECTATIONS FOR 2025!
1. All photos must be 5x7 print size and matted on black mats (mat size 8x10, photo size 5x7)
2. Mats can be found on Amazon, local craft stores, and will be sold at the Haywood County Extension Office (589 Raccoon Rd. Waynesville) — please call ahead to ensure staff availability (828456-3575) — Mats are $2 each, exact cash or check only
DEPARTMENT A • AMATEUR – YOUTH & ADULT
Youth will compete in two age categories: 8-12 & 13-18
DIVISION V
SECTION 1: YOUTH AND 4-H DIVISION
• Department A: Ages 5-7
• Department B: Ages 8-13
• Department C: Ages 14-19
CLASS A – KING ARTHUR YOUTH COOKIE DECORATING CONTEST
PRIZES:
• 1st place overall: $40 gift certificate to the Baker’s Catalogue/ kingarthurbaking.com
• 2nd place overall: $25 gift certificate to the Baker’s Catalogue/ kingarthurbaking.com
• 3rd place overall: $25 gift certificate to the Baker’s Catalogue/ kingarthurbaking.com
SPECIAL RULES:
• Exhibitors will submit a half dozen (6) chocolate chip cookies using the required recipe from King Arthur Baker
• All cookies must be prepared and decorated by the youth exhibitor.
• Exhibitor must use King Arthur Flour in his/her recipe and is required to bring the opened bag of King Arthur Flour or submit a UPC label from the flour bag when he/she submits the entry.
• Exhibitor chooses his/her own cookie recipe. Recipe should be submitted along with cookies, printed or typed and include the recipe itself, exhibitor’s name and age.
• All entries must be submitted on a disposable container (such as foil wrapped cardboard) and covered with plastic wrap for judging.
CLASS B – CANNED GOODS
CLASS C - HORTICULTURE
CLASS D - CLOTHING
CLASS E – CRAFTS
CLASS F – COLLECTIONS
CLASS G – SCARECROW CONTEST
For this class, provide your own scarecrow form, stand, or seat; dress it as you wish, and return on fair entry day. Scarecrows will be displayed around the fairgrounds!
Special Premiums: $75, first place; $50, second place; $25, third place
YOUTH EXHIBIT BOOTHS
Youth Organizations and clubs may set up exhibit booths at the fair at no cost. Open to Career and Technical Education, 4-H, FFA, Scouts, church youth groups and others. Booth spaces are approximately 10’ by 10’ must be reserved and approved by contacting the Fairgrounds Manager at 828-400-1704 or managerhcfg@gmail.com.
A huge thank you to AgCare Products Inc. for sponsoring this event
DIVISION VI – LIVESTOCK
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27
6:00 pm Special Persons Show 6:30 pm Sheep Show
Any/All species costume contest (Immediately following sheep show)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
8am to 5pmPoultry Show
9:00 am Goat Show 12:00 pmDairy Cattle Show
6:00 pm Beef Cattle Show Swine Show (30 minutes after conclusion of beef show)
THANK YOU TO OUR LIVESTOCK & POULTRY SHOW SPONSORS: HAYWOOD COUNTY FARM BUREAU
HAYWOOD COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION
DIVISION VIII - HAYWOOD FAIR TRUCK AND TRACTOR PULL
STOCK TRACTOR PULL
10
a.m. Saturday, September 28
The weight classes are: 3500, 4000, 4500, 5000, 5500, 6000, 6500, 7000, 7500, 8000, 9000, 10,000, 11,000, and 12,000. Trophies will be given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners. $20 per hook. East Tennessee Tractor Pullers Association rules will apply. Registration onsite at 9 AM.
TRUCK PULL
1 p.m. Sunday, September 29
CLASSES: All pulls hook to Heartbreaker 2 Transfer Sled
The classes include:
• Mini; 4- and 6-cylinder Rangers, S-10’s, Toyotas & Jeep Cherokees
• Short wheel base half ton pickups
• Full-size half ton V-8 Blazers, Broncos, Ram Chargers & Cherokees
• Short wheel-base three quarter-ton pick-ups
• Full-size three-quarter ton V-8 Blazers, Broncos, Ram Chargers & Cherokees
• Long wheel-base half-ton pickups
• Long wheel-base three-quarter ton pickups
• Diesels
• Dual-wheel trucks
• Over-all Class, consisting of winners from each class
• 2.5 Open Diesel
• Hot Farm Class
AWARDS: 1st place trophy and ribbons for 2nd through 4th place awarded in each class, plus a trophy for grand champion.
Registration: Register online in advance or onsite starting at noon. There will also be an Open Class (no prizes). Hook fee is $15; 2.5 Open Diesel $35. Gate fee for the fair applies to participants. For rules and registration visit smokymountaineventcenter.org.
RULES:
• ABSOLUTELY NO PASSENGERS — Driver only allowed in truck.
• No one but current driver allowed inside the arena.
• Spectators/drivers are not permitted to lean on fencing.
• Spectators/drivers must stay behind marked barriers.
september 26th
Sheep Riding
Wild Horse Riding
Steer Riding
Chute Dogging
Barrel Racing (JR, OPEN)
Bull Riding (JR & OPEN)
7:30pm
COWPATY RODEO CLOWN! KIDS DANCE CONTEST! THE WONDER DOG!
