The Union County Fair is slated to run Tuesday through Saturday with a wide variety of events, competitions and plenty of carnival rides and fair food.
Beth Brumley has volunteered with the fair for the past five years. She said the fair is a local tradition that helps tie the community together.
“It’s one thing that doesn’t change so much over time,” she said. “You did it as a kid, you want to take your kids. It’s just a family tradition. It’s a rite of passage.”
The fair also provides local youth a chance to show off their hard work over the past year.
“The kids that do the barn, they work all year for that,” Brumley said. “We’ve had some move on to state level. We’ve had the state teen fair queen a couple of times over the past five years. It’s great for them to move on to the state level to represent Union County.”
Gate admission is $5. Wristbands for carnival rides are $20 except where noted in the schedule below. Tickets for individual rides can also be purchased.
• Tuesday, Sept. 10: The fair kicks off on Tuesday with the gate opening at 4:30 p.m. Ticket sales for the carnival begin at 5 p.m., and the commercial building will be open from 5:30 to 10 p.m. Open and junior beef show judging will begin at 6 p.m. and swine judging-showmanship around 7 p.m. (will begin 15 minutes after the beef show ends). The barn will close at 9 p.m.
The livestock barn will open at 8 a.m., and the home economics department will be open to receive exhibits between 8 and 11:30 a.m. Judging will take place for a variety of submissions throughout the morning and early afternoon, but the judging is not open to the public.
• Wednesday, Sept. 11: Feed the Needy Night is scheduled from 5-9 p.m. Individuals who bring three canned goods will get $3 off their midway tickets to benefit the Salvation Army. School tours are available from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday and Thursday. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. again, and the carnival opens at 5 p.m. The commercial building is open from 5:30-10 p.m., and the sheep judging/sheep showmanship starts at 6 p.m. The goat show/showmanship will begin 15 minutes after the show ends. The bar closes at 9 p.m.
• Thursday, Sept. 12: Senior Citizens Day is slated from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the activity building, with a variety of events, including a lunch and bingo. Gates open at 4:30, carnival starts at 5 p.m., commercial building open at 5:30 p.m. Junior rabbit showmanship is at 6 p.m.
• Friday, Sept. 13: Barn cleanup starts at 8 a.m. and the junior livestock sale takes place in the livestock barn at 12:30 p.m. The gate opens at 4:30 pm., carnival at 5 p.m. and commercial building at 5:30 p.m. All rabbits must be picked up by 9 p.m. The barn closes at 11 p.m. and all exhibits must remain in place until then. The Arkansas Game & Fish Commission mobile aquarium is slated to be on site on Friday, although a time has yet to be determined.
• Saturday, Sept. 14: All chickens need to be picked up between 8 a.m. and noon. There are no commercial or livestock exhibits. From 1-5 p.m., school-age children receive free admission and midway wristbands are $15 until 6 p.m. From 2-3 p.m. is the kids character meet-and-greet featuring Sparky, the El Dorado High School Wildcat, Woody and Jessie from Toy Story, Baby Shark and more. The AGFC mobile aquarium will again be at the fair at a time to be determined later.
All exhibits must be picked up on Monday, Sept. 16 from 4-7 p.m. All unclaimed items after Monday will remain on the fairgrounds to be picked up Tuesday through Wednesday from 4-6 p.m. After Wednesday, all items will be discarded. The fair will update daily activities in a fair schedule advertisement in the News-Times, and the newspaper will provide updates as necessary. The fairgrounds are located at 1430 E. 19th St. in El Dorado.