Emmet-Charlevoix County Fair is back next week
CHARLEVOIX — The 116th Emmet-Charlevoix County Fair is returning to the fairgrounds next week for six days of monster trucks, live music, carnival rides, 4-H competitions and more.
“There is something there for everybody, I promise,” fair manager Agnes Shaw said.
The fair has some returning attractions, but new to the fair is a Round Robin style cornhole tournament. After the Round Robin is over, competing teams will be placed in double-elimination bracket.
The top five teams will be getting a share of the prize money, with the fair paying out a total of $1,000.
The tournament begins at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 23.
Chris Janson, a Missouri native, will be performing in the grandstands on Aug. 24. The opening act is set to take the stage at 6:45 p.m., with Janson going on at 8:30 p.m.
Available tickets cost between $35 and $75 dollars and include entrance to the fairgrounds. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the fair’s box office at (231) 347-1010.
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From Aug. 25-26, the fair will also have a Monster Truck Throwdown.
Shaw said they have events like the Monster Truck Throwdown to make similar shows available to people in Northern Michigan.
"After each fair, we have a fair board meeting and we discuss what entertainment we think would be interesting to folks coming to the fair," she said. “We try to put a show on like that because it's more accessible to people in Northern Michigan. They don't have to drive to Detroit or downstate to find some of these shows."
Tickets can be purchased through the box office or the fair’s website. Tickets for people 13 and older cost $22, and tickets for people 2-12 years old are $11. Children under age 2 are free with an adult.
The final big grandstand event is autocross racing at 6 p.m. on Aug. 27. This event will allow children age 4 and under to come for free, while it's $6 for kids 5-12 years old, and $16 for anyone 13 and older.
People signed up for the event must participate in a driver meeting the day of the event, wear helmet and eye protection, and must be 16 or older — including people working in the pit areas.
The top three racers in each class will earn trophies and cash prizes.
Beyond grandstand events, the fair will come with a full carnival, operational from Aug. 23-28.
For $70 ahead of time or $80 onsite, you can purchase a “Mega Band” voucher, allowing an unlimited number of rides throughout the week. Otherwise, individual tickets and bands can be purchased. Tickets are $1 each or 50 for $40, or day bands are $15-25, depending on the day you go.
Each ride costs between 2-6 tickets per rider.
Shaw said the fair will have barns full of animals, an exhibit building full of antiques, quilts and photographs. There will be food vendors onsite, with healthy food options as well as traditional fair foods.
Throughout the fair, there will be multiple opportunities to check out different 4-H events as well. Even before the fair begins, there will be animal showings every day between Aug. 22-25. There will be lambs, goats, horses, pigs and more available to be seen.
To wrap up the showings, the 45th annual 4-H Market Livestock Auction will take place Aug. 25 from 3-6 p.m. The sale order is large beef, Jr. beef, dairy feeders, swine, lambs, goats, rabbits, turkeys, chickens, geese and ducks.
This year, the fair will offer two free shows, including the returning firefighter show. From Aug. 23-27, the show will be offered three times a day at the children's stage.
A comedy farm magic review will be offered for free as well. Each day from Aug. 23-27, fairgoers can see an illusionist with farm-themed magic and comedy, along with some informational bits about agriculture and farm safety tips.
Entrance into the fair for everyone over the age of 13 is $6.
Contact education reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com or on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Emmet-Charlevoix County Fair slated for Aug. 23-28
