Tri-State Fair and Rodeo prepares for centennial celebrations
The Tri-State Fair and Rodeo (TSFR) is inviting the community to celebrate 100 years of the annual event with its upcoming festivities guaranteed to be fun for the whole family. This year's fair opens Sept. 15 and continues through Sept. 23 at the Tri-State Fairgrounds.
"I think for any business, the 100th year is a huge milestone, and this is a huge year for us. We have been celebrating all year as a part of our centennial celebration," Segayle Foster, sponsorship and marketing manager for Amarillo Tri-State Exposition, said.
According to the fair's website in an article posted under "history," the Tri-State Fair received its charter on June 23, 1923, and first opened its gates on Sept. 25, 1923, when the six-day event played host to 35 counties that displayed exhibits. At the time, in 1922, F.M. Ryburn had declared “A fair was of extremely important nature to Amarillo, owing to the city’s geographic location and the fact that the people of the western part of Oklahoma, the Panhandle of Texas and eastern part of New Mexico looked to Amarillo to establish the fair.”
According to Foster, one way that the fair has commemorated the milestone is presenting more than 125 scholarships to area students throughout the Panhandle, totaling to $100,000 worth of funds. The scholarships include 100 $500 scholarships totaling $50,000, in addition to their annual $40,000 scholarship donations. TSFR then donated an additional $10,000 in scholarships, to round off the total amount to $100,000.
TSFR also announced Friday their biggest surprise — to give back to the community with a "Centennial Day" on Friday, Sept. 15, allowing free gate admission for all who attend that day.
This year's Tri-State Fair parade is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 16 in downtown Amarillo, starting at 10 a.m. on Polk Street.
Foster said the Tri-State Fair and Rodeo is the largest family-friendly event hosted in the Texas Panhandle, and he expects that with the added celebration of the 100th anniversary, they will see above average attendance this year. Foster said that last year, they saw around 130,000 attendees, but this year, they expect around 150,000 attendees, if not more.
To accommodate for the larger crowd, TSFR has implemented some new security measures, including the installment of metal detectors, a clear bag policy, limiting entry points to Gate 1 and Gate 4, a heightened security presence and cutting off entry to the fair at 10:30 p.m. (The fair remains open until midnight.)
Foster said that the individuals already in the park will be allowed to enjoy the festivities until closing at midnight, but that gate admission will cease at 10:30 p.m. each evening.
The Tri-State PRCA Rodeo will be held the last weekend of the fair, Sept. 21-23. Security measures will also be implemented at the rodeo. This year will also feature youth events, including barrel racing, team roping, tie down roping and break away. The youth events are available for participants ages 18 and younger.
The rodeo will also include rodeo vendors for viewers to enjoy and shop from, as well as a kids' corner that will include educational rodeo components located on the west side of the Amarillo National Center.
This year on the fair side of things, a Crush Wine and Beer Garden has been added that will include live music from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. each evening. The Garden will be the only location on the grounds where attendees can purchase a craft beer or glass of wine.
"The Garden will be a shaded area with a few games, where you can sit with your friends and just enjoy the evening at the fair," Foster said.
This year's shows will include a Sea Lion Show, and hypnotist performing on the Michelob Ultra Stage. Children will also have the opportunity to enjoy the Petting Zoo and the Swiftly Swine pig races.
"This is going to be a fun year — not many events get to say that they have been around for 100 years, and it's just family fun for everyone," Foster said. "This is a place where the whole family can have fun, because there is something out here for everyone, especially the fair food that everyone loves because calories don't count when you are at the fair. We just want the community to help us celebrate 100 years of the Tri-State Fair and Rodeo."
For more information, the full schedule, or to purchase tickets, visit the Tri-State Fair and Rodeo online at https://www.tristatefair.com/ .
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Tri-State Fair and Rodeo invites community for 100th anniversary
