Cheerleaders, motocross racing at fair

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

The 159th Van Wert County Fair heads into its fourth day with the popular cheerleader contest on tap, starting this morning, along with a number of Junior and Senior Fair livestock shows.

Cheerleaders from around the area will converge on the grandstand, starting at 9:30 a.m. today, with several different age groups and divisions cheering and dancing as part of the ever-popular event.

The Junior Fair Dairy Feeder Show will start at 8:30 today in the Farm Focus Arena, while the Boer Goat Show will be held at 8 in the Goat Arena.

The Senior Rabbit Show will begin at 10 a.m. today in the Rabbit Barn, while the Senior Fair Stock Horse Show will start at noon Senior Horse Arena.

A kiddie tractor pull will be held in the Agriculture Building area, with sign-up running from noon to 1 p.m. today, while a double-elimination horseshoe tournament will be held at 9 a.m., with a singles horseshoe contest to follow from 1-6 p.m. at the horseshoe court.

Bear Hollow Wood Carving will start at 2 p.m. today in the area of the Junior Fair Building, while Bruiser Wrestling will be coming to the Junior Fair Building area at 4 p.m., with the Van Wert Area Community Concert Band playing in the Music Pavilion at the same time. From 4:30-6:30 p.m., the Open to the World Dairy Feeder Calf Show will be held in the Farm Focus Arena, while Figure 8 Racing will begin at 3 this afternoon in front of the grandstand.

St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church will hold a church service at 5:45 p.m. in the Music Pavilion, while the Soul’d Out Quartet will sing at 7 p.m. in the Music Pavilion, preceded by Minor Blue at 5 p.m. and followed by Nut Flush at 9 this evening in the same place.

Motocross Racing will be held at 7 p.m. today in front of the grandstand, with an Animal Dress Up Contest held at 7:30 p.m. in the Farm Focus Arena.

On Sunday, the Junior Fair Rabbit Showmanship Competition will be held in the Rabbit Barn at 9 a.m., while the Junior Fair Rabbit Show will follow at 11:30 this morning in the same place.

A Tug-A-Truck competition will be held in front of the grandstand at 1 p.m. Sunday, while a doubles horseshoe tourney will also be held at 1 Sunday afternoon on the horseshoe courts.

The Van Wert Cattlemen’s Futurity will begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Farm Focus Arena, with the Senior Fair Beef Show at the same time.

The Van Wert County Market Lamb Show will run from 4:45 p.m. Sunday, while Children Choosing Christ will be held from 1-5 p.m. in the Music Pavilion.

A Junior Fair Milk Mustache Contest will begin at 5 p.m. in the Dairy Barn, while the 4-H Fashion Review is held in the Music Pavilion at 5 and Junior Fair Horse Contesting is in the Junior Horse Arena.

The Ryan Trentman Memorial Show will run at 6 p.m. in the Farm Focus Arena, while Junior Fair 4-H presentations will be held at the same time in the Music Pavilion.

Entertainment will include the Ball Brothers at 7 p.m. in the Music Pavilion, while the fair’s popular Demolition Derby will start at the same time in front of the grandstand.

Monday is the last official day of the fair, and will include the Junior Fair Swine Show at 8:30 a.m. in the Farm Focus Arena, the Open Sheep Show at 8 a.m. in the Sheep Arena, the Senior Fair Dairy Show at 3 p.m. in the Farm Focus Arena and the Junior Fair Horse Fun Show also at 3 in the Junior Horse Arena.

4-H presentations will be held at 4 p.m. in the Music Pavilion, followed by the Southern Gospel singing group Trinity at 5 Monday evening.

Also starting at 5 p.m. Monday will be the Junior Fair Showman of Showmen Contest, which is held in the Farm Focus Arena.

Starting at noon in front of the grandstand will be 10 races for thoroughbred and quarter-horses, with two 6½-furlong races, and two 5-furlong races, as well as two 220-yard dashes for 4-year-old horses, and a 220-yard dash for 2-year-olds and a 550-yard dash and a 220-yard dash for 3-year-old quarter-horses.

In between races, Samantha Rae Duquette will perform in front of the grandstand.

At 7 p.m. Labor Day, 13 harness races will be held, with the Signature Series Pace one of those races.

The Lifehouse Band will perform in the Music Pavilion at 6:15 p.m., with Sidewalk Prophets singing at 7 Monday evening in the same venue.