The Madison County Fair until Aug. 5, includes a sensory-friendly time Aug. 2

Sierra Marling, Richmond Register, Ky.
Updated ·4 min read

Aug. 2—Sierra Marling

The Madison County Fair will continue until Aug. 5 this week at the Madison County Fairgrounds, where there will be a plethora of activities for people of all ages to enjoy, including a sensory-friendly time for those with special needs to experience the fair.

Sensory-friendly fair information

On Wednesday, the fair featured a free event for children and adults with special needs to experience the fun of the carnival rides in a calmer setting.

"We know the fair can create sensory overload and hope this time will be beneficial," said fair officials in a Facebook post.

Kelly Wheatley, a certified occupational therapy assistant at Marshall Pediatric Therapy, explained why these events are helpful to give autistic people, those with developmental delays, and anyone else who processes the world differently, a chance to enjoy something that may normally be overly stimulating to them.

"Kids and adults that have those sensory sensitivities can have a harder time interpreting information from the environment," she explained. "You have to think, especially at the fair, there's lights, there's sound, there's music, there's smells, so it's really a sensory-rich environment. So, for people that have difficulties processing through that, it can be an overwhelming experience."

In addition, Wheatley noted the freedom that these events give parents of special needs children.

"A lot of times, outings like that can be hard and stressful. So they feel like they're missing out on opportunities to enjoy time with their kids because it could potentially turn into a big meltdown or a tantrum. I think giving parents that option of bringing their kids during a specified time — plus, more than likely, there'll be other families that are that experienced that same thing — will keep from making them feel like they're sticking out or that they're being a bother to other people," she added.

Fair organizers noted in a Facebook post that not all vendors or buildings may be accessible until 6 p.m. when the gates open for the fair to begin.

Regular fair information

Throughout this week, entrance is $15 at the gate, which includes all rides and viewing of all events. There are vendors nearby supplying games and food at extra cost.

Organizers had the following notes regarding activities at the fair on their Facebook page:

If it is raining or is supposed to rain, check the fair's Facebook page for cancellations.

Sign-ups for various events like mud racing, mullet contest, dirt drags, etc. happen immediately before each event.

Rides and fair events typically shut down around 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. unless an event finishes earlier or the weather forces the fair to shut down.

Only service animals are allowed on the fairgrounds during the fair, with the only exception being pets onsite for pet-related events.

According to Chick Givens, the president of the Madison County Fair, there are even some new events going on this week, including live music from locals at the pavilion and a children's sheep rodeo on Friday.

Keeping in Kentucky tradition, there are also horse events. According to the president, there are six horse events scheduled for the 8-day event.

He also explained that this year's pageants have seen incredible growth, saying, "Three years ago, I think we had 17 contestants total in our pageant. Saturday, we had 15 in one event, and Monday, we had 141, we still have another night to go."

Givens called the mullet contest mullet "the most fun thing we've had at the fair so far", recalling that, this year, there was a seven-year-old boy with a 27-inch long mullet who had entered the content. He was in the top 25 out of 900 in the national mullet contest before coming to compete in the local fair.

As an event well-attended by so many community organizations and people, the fair often has several events running at the same time, which can be a difficult task since the event is run by volunteers.

"If we don't make the money, we don't pay the bills, and we cannot operate. We all work for free, and everything here is donated," Givens explained. "We don't have any real help from the federal government or local government, and it's really hard to do to put on all these events. Luckily, we have some construction companies that pitch in and help us with equipment."

He advised that there are auctions during the year to support the fair, including improvements and additional events for next year. For more information on ways to support the fair, e-mail themadcofair@gmail.com.

To see the upcoming events, go to https://www.themadisoncountyfair.com/annual-fair.