JEFFERSON — The 166th Jefferson County Fair will kick off Wednesday, July 11, and run through Sunday, July 15, with fun and entertainment for the whole family in celebration of the “Year of the Chicken.”
Gates will open daily at 8 a.m. Daily adult admission at the gate is $10. Daily admission at the gate for seniors, age 62 and up, is $5.
Children under 12 will be $5 for daily admission at the gate. Children under 5 are free. As always, parking is free.
Save now by purchasing a Family Five Pack of tickets available at the Jefferson County Fair Park Office, Jefferson County Courthouse, Jefferson County University of Wisconsin-Extension office, Piggly Wiggly in Watertown and all PremierBank locations. Family Five Packs include five tickets to the fair that can be used on any day and cost $35.
The five-packs only are available through July 10.
Multi-day events
Highlights at this year’s fair include the the Sea Lion Splash show, High-flying Pages Aerial Thrill Show, Pleasure Valley Pig and Duck Races, and Brant the FireGuy.
Three of the acts are new shows that are expected to have performances thrice daily.
Pleasure Valley Pig and Duck Races returns to the Jefferson County Fair this year to the delight of many fair-goers.
Among the new acts is the High Flying Pages Aerial Thrill Show.
“That is an acrobat show,” Jefferson County Fair Park Marketing/Administrative Assistant Amy Listle said. “They also have this giant swing — I think it fits six people — and they’ll swing back and forth, and then they’ll do flips off of it.”
The show also will include a performance in the Globe of Death, a stunt where people ride motorcycles inside a metal mesh sphere ball.
Sea Lion Splash shows will be followed by photo opportunities and a chance to meet the sea lions.
“We have Brant the FireGuy coming,” Listle said. “He is a fire juggler and he’s a street performer. So he’s going to roam the grounds and he’ll do three shows a day in three different locations. He does about a 30-minute show juggling fire.
“That will be something really new, because we really haven’t had a street performer before that travels around,” she continued. “So we’re excited to see if it’ll gather crowds in different areas.”
Mr. Ed’s Magical Midways will return for its ninth year and will feature daily carnival wristband specials.
The carnival kicks off at noon each day, and closes at 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 6 p.m., Sunday. Rides are not included in the regular admission price.
A wristband for unlimited carnival rides can be purchased for $15 on Wednesday, from noon to 5 p.m.; for $25 on Thursday from noon to 10 p.m., Friday from noon to 11 p.m., and Saturday from noon to 11 p.m.; and for Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.
The Leinie Lodge beers of the day will be Summer Shandy, Honey Weiss, Northwoods, Canoe Paddler, Creamy Dark and Special Ale.
“We actually just built a new stage for that,” Listle said. “It was just a little pop-up tent with two risers, and now … they built a Leinie Lodge stage.
“We’ll have music there every day,” she added. “I don’t have the artists yet because we’re still working on some paperwork. They’ll be like one- to three-piece acoustic bands.”
Overall, daily events include Commodity Carnival, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the West Exhibit Building; bingo, Wednesday through Friday, from 1 to 4 p.m.; White Claw Hard Seltzer Tasting from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Puller’s Saloon; K-9 demonstrations, Badger Woodturners, the chick hatchery and the corn box.
Wednesday, July 11
Day one of the fair kicks off as Kids’ Day, when children 12 and under receive free entry until 5 p.m. There will be buy one, get one free adult admission with a coupon from the PremierBank newsletter.
The Jefferson County Tractor Pull and the Badger State Tractor Pull will take place at the Wilbert Betschler Memorial Grandstand.
The County Tractor Pull begins at 10:30 a.m. It will feature Antique 4 mph paced classes; Altered Non-Turbo; 8 mph paced Non-Turbo; 10 mph paced Farm Turbo, and two special South-Central Wisconsin Puller classes. Pullers can enter two classes.
Starting at 7 p.m. is the Badger State Tractor Pull. The classes this year are Pro-Stock Tractors, Super Farm Tractors, Light-Limited Super Tractors and Limited-Pro Farm.
The fourth annual Junior Amateur Talent Show will take place at 6 p.m. in the Miller Lite Tent.
“This is the fourth year that we’re doing that and that continues to grow every year,” Listle noted. “Last year, we had a winner in the youth division who went on to Wisconsin State Fair and she placed third. So it’s a good competition and we like to have it.”
There are two age divisions: youth, 2-12, and teen, 13-18.
Monetary prizes will be awarded for first-, second- and third-place winners in each division. Two winners from the contest will advance to the Wisconsin State Fair to compete for a $4,000 grand prize.
Cookies with the Queen will take place for the second time, this year in the West Exhibit building. It will be from 4 to 5 p.m.
“Cookies with the Queen was awesome last year with all the kids being able to make their own crowns, so we want to bring that back,” Listle said.
Prior to the event will be a chance to meet the Fairest of the Fair contestants, also in the West Exhibit Building, starting at 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 12
On Day Two, the first 1,000 people to enter will receive a free giveaway. There will be buy one, get one free adult admission with a coupon from the PremierBank newsletter.
From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Big Jake and Little Bear — the world’s largest and smallest horses respectively — will be by the draft horse arena.
“It was really good (last year), but we didn’t publicize it very much, so hopefully it’ll be better this year because we put it in the brochure,” Listle said. “I think a lot of people actually do know who Big Jake is, especially if you’re in the horse world.”
At 6:30 p.m. at the grandstand will be the Badger Truck Pull. The competition includes Open Stock 6200#; Super Stock 6200#; and the Super Street Diesel 8000#. Trucks will compete to pull the “Eliminator” down the 300-foot track.
The Jimmy Hartwig Band will play at the Miller Lite Tent starting at 2 p.m. and, at 8 p.m., The MadPoleCats will take the stage.
The 4-H Rocket Launch will take place at the grandstands at 9 a.m.
Friday, July 13
Travis Tritt, with opening act Madison County, will take the grandstand stage at 7 p.m. as the main event for Friday.
Tritt performed at the 2009 Jefferson County Fair and has continued to sell out shows and stay true and relevant to country music fans. A native of Marietta, Ga., he is dubbed one of “The Class of ‘89,” which included country music superstars Garth Brooks, Clint Black and Alan Jackson, all of whom dominated the charts in the early 1990s.
Among Tritt’s 11 studio albums and numerous charted singles are “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde,” “Here’s A Quarter” and “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive.” His 25-year career has produced millions in album sales, two Grammy award wins and multiple No. 1 singles on the country radio charts.
Seating in the grandstand is free, but tickets for reserved seating and the Party Pit range in price from $10 to $25. Tickets still are available and can be purchased online at www.jcfairpark.com.
Following the grandstand acts, Madison County will be performing in the Miller Lite Tent at 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 14
The grandstand stage will feature Randy Houser, along with opening act Stetsin & Lace, starting at 7 p.m.
Houser is described by the New York Times as “wholly different, thicker and more throbbing, a caldron bubbling over.” He has racked up five consecutive country radio hits and over five million singles sales.
He topped the charts with “How Country Feels,” “Runnin’ Outta Moonlight,” “Goodnight Kiss” and “We Went,” and earned critical acclaim for his powerful delivery of the Top 5 smash and CMA Song of the Year-nominated “Like A Cowboy.”
Stetsin & Lace is the “ultimate country party band,” playing anything from boot-stomping classics to the newest hits.
Seating in the grandstand is free, but tickets for reserved seating and the Party Pit range in price from $10 to $25. Tickets still are available and can be purchased at www.jcfairpark.com.
Stetsin & Lace will play for a second time at the Miller Lite Tent at 10 p.m.
For a fourth year, the Garage Band Extravaganza will take place in the Miller Lite Tent beginning at noon.
Also on Saturday are activities in the MAP Arena, such as the 52nd Annual Meat Animal Project (MAP)/Youth Livestock and Dairy Auction at 1 p.m. and the small animal sale at 5 p.m.
At 6:30 p.m., the Jefferson County Equine Ambassador coronation will take place in the horse arena.
Sunday, July 15
Day Five of the fair is “Celebrate Freedom Day.” Current and former military personnel enter free with a valid I.D. or proof of military service.
The Fairest of the Fair crowning immediately will follow the final question, both of which will take place on the Kids’ Stage at 12:30 p.m.
The contestants are Natalie Ciciva, Waterloo, and Libby Knoebel, Helenville.
The final event of the fair held at the grandstand is the International Demolition Derby at 2 p.m. Sunday. Local drivers will “crunch metal, spin out and compete for prize money,” according to the Jefferson County Fair website.
The demo derby has a new promoter this year, Listle noted.
“It affects the participants because there’s new rules,” she noted. “So, when they’re signing up and entering, they have to follow new rules on how they build their cars.
“This demo derby company is more interactive with the crowd,” Listle continued. “The announcer will actually go in the stands and tell jokes and share the microphone with the kids, so it’ll be a more all-around show, versus just the demo cars competing.”
The children’s Power Wheels “demo derby” will be back as well, taking place prior to the track getting hosed down for the adults.
In addition, Sunday is La Movida Family Day in the Miller Lite Tent, from noon to 8 p.m.
The event, sponsored by WLMV 1480, will feature live music, additional authentic Mexican food, a jalapeño eating contest, a dance contest and more.
At 10 a.m., the Future Showmanship contest for dairy, beef, swine, sheep and goats will take place in the MAP Arena. It is an opportunity for any cloverbud to come out and show.
Following will be the third annual Master Showman Contest at 2 p.m. The best showman from beef, dairy, swine, goat and sheep will come together and compete for the overall title of master showman.
During the contest, the top showman from every species will be showing their animal, but they also will have the challenge of showing every other species.
For more information on the Jefferson County Fair visit jcfairpark.com or call the Fair Park office at (920) 674-7148.