Loudoun :
Fairfax Underground
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Fair Opens July 25 To Celebrate Loudoun County's Ag Traditions
Posted by:
Loudoun News & Events
()
Date: July 19, 2011 09:58AM
Fair Opens July 25 To Celebrate Loudoun County's Ag Traditions
Posted: Monday, July 18, 2011 2:42 pm | Updated: 3:18 pm, Mon Jul 18, 2011.
http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/loudoun/article_0cacbe20-b170-11e0-a2c0-001cc4c002e0.html
When the first Loudoun County Fair took root 76 years ago, its simple events calendar had only room for livestock shows, auctions, baking contests and a handful of fresh-from-the-farm competitions and showcases.
In recent years, however, fair organizers have included concerts and other entertainment to lure new fairgoers, all while holding on to the fair's staple of agricultural traditions. The blend of the new and the traditional will be celebrated at this year's Loudoun County Fair, July 25-30.
"Ten years ago, the general public didn't care about the fair," Loudoun County Fair Superintendent Terry Corle said during a fairgrounds cleanup day Sunday. "Now, we literally have something for everybody, and we get people from all over. We had a lady from D.C. call to ask where the closest Metro stop is to the fairgrounds."
Among the animal auctions, dairy shows and horse demonstrations on this year's fair schedule, events also include chainsaw juggling, a BMX show, a trained bear, an acrobatic performance and a demolition derby.
"I think the changes are a good thing," Loudoun County 4-H Youth Development program specialist Kim Monroe, said. She has been involved in the county fair since she showed livestock as a young 4-H Club member. "It still really is all about the 4-H kids, but some of the changes have brought a new crowd out to the fair and exposed them to the agriculture of Loudoun County."
Corle admits that he was never too interested in the county fair until it included entertainment beyond the horse shows and the livestock.
"I think I bring a good perspective to this team because there are a lot of people who want more than 4-H," he said, adding that everything from the rodeos to the fair pageant, the evening concerts to the funnel cakes draw people to the fair. "I swear people will stand in line for a half-hour for those funnel cakes."
Even with all that the county fair now offers, Tuscarora High School rising senior Eric Bishop still considers the farm animals the star of the week. The 17-year-old has shown pigs, sheep and goats at the fair for five years.
"When you think of the fair, you think about the livestock and it should stay that way," he said. "The entertainment brings more people out, and while they're here they can see the livestock and see that agriculture is still very much alive in the county."
The fair is from July 25-30 at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds, 17558 Dry Mill Road in Leesburg. Advance weekly passes are $8 for children and $20 for adults; daily passes are $5 for children; $10 for adults. For more information on the Loudoun County Fair and a full schedule of events, visit loudouncountyfair.com.
Volunteers Prep For The Loudoun County Fair
Members of Loudoun County 4-H Club pull weeds around the horse arena of the Loudoun County Fairgrounds Sunday, July 17. About 100 volunteers gathered for a fairgrounds cleanup day in preparation for the Loudoun County Fair July 25-30.
Attachments:
Posted: Monday, July 18, 2011 2:42 pm | Updated: 3:18 pm, Mon Jul 18, 2011.
http://www.leesburg2day.com/news/loudoun/article_0cacbe20-b170-11e0-a2c0-001cc4c002e0.html
When the first Loudoun County Fair took root 76 years ago, its simple events calendar had only room for livestock shows, auctions, baking contests and a handful of fresh-from-the-farm competitions and showcases.
In recent years, however, fair organizers have included concerts and other entertainment to lure new fairgoers, all while holding on to the fair's staple of agricultural traditions. The blend of the new and the traditional will be celebrated at this year's Loudoun County Fair, July 25-30.
"Ten years ago, the general public didn't care about the fair," Loudoun County Fair Superintendent Terry Corle said during a fairgrounds cleanup day Sunday. "Now, we literally have something for everybody, and we get people from all over. We had a lady from D.C. call to ask where the closest Metro stop is to the fairgrounds."
Among the animal auctions, dairy shows and horse demonstrations on this year's fair schedule, events also include chainsaw juggling, a BMX show, a trained bear, an acrobatic performance and a demolition derby.
"I think the changes are a good thing," Loudoun County 4-H Youth Development program specialist Kim Monroe, said. She has been involved in the county fair since she showed livestock as a young 4-H Club member. "It still really is all about the 4-H kids, but some of the changes have brought a new crowd out to the fair and exposed them to the agriculture of Loudoun County."
Corle admits that he was never too interested in the county fair until it included entertainment beyond the horse shows and the livestock.
"I think I bring a good perspective to this team because there are a lot of people who want more than 4-H," he said, adding that everything from the rodeos to the fair pageant, the evening concerts to the funnel cakes draw people to the fair. "I swear people will stand in line for a half-hour for those funnel cakes."
Even with all that the county fair now offers, Tuscarora High School rising senior Eric Bishop still considers the farm animals the star of the week. The 17-year-old has shown pigs, sheep and goats at the fair for five years.
"When you think of the fair, you think about the livestock and it should stay that way," he said. "The entertainment brings more people out, and while they're here they can see the livestock and see that agriculture is still very much alive in the county."
The fair is from July 25-30 at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds, 17558 Dry Mill Road in Leesburg. Advance weekly passes are $8 for children and $20 for adults; daily passes are $5 for children; $10 for adults. For more information on the Loudoun County Fair and a full schedule of events, visit loudouncountyfair.com.
Volunteers Prep For The Loudoun County Fair
Members of Loudoun County 4-H Club pull weeds around the horse arena of the Loudoun County Fairgrounds Sunday, July 17. About 100 volunteers gathered for a fairgrounds cleanup day in preparation for the Loudoun County Fair July 25-30.
Attachments: