Bikes, bulls and races make for 'A Barn Raising Good Time'

Bulls Gone Wild, stock car races and freestyle motocross bikes pave the way for “barn-raising good times” Friday-Saturday, July 28-29, at the Phillips County Fair.
    A packed schedule of fun for the whole family awaits. Friday, July 28, a meal by Happy Jacks Barbeque begins at 5 p.m. at Homesteaders Park with entertainment by barbershop quartet Equally Delinquent and Colby Purkeypile.
    Stock car races begin at 7 p.m., featuring High Plains late model series races and the Colorado Alliance Tour, including modifieds, sports mods, stock cars, hobby stocks and compacts. A fan appreciation event is included in the action as well.
    Freestyle motocross trick bikes will take to the track after the races, showcasing independent daredevils from four different states flipping and flying through the air.
    Saturday’s events culminate in bull riding, bullfighting, mutton bustin’ and more at Bulls Gone Wild, starting at 7 p.m.
    Boys and girls 60 pounds and under may sign up for the mutton bustin’. Spots are limited, so sign-up is on a first come, first served basis.
    To enter in Bulls Gone Wild events, call 970-581-2708, or watch for entry information on the Phillips County Fair Facebook page or their website at www.phillipsco fair.com.
    Family ticket packs and all-events passes are available for a reduced presale price only at Jake’s Feed in Holyoke and at Haxtun Town Hall. All-events passes cover the barbecue, races and Bulls Gone Wild.
    The passes and regular-priced single tickets are also available at www.eventbrite.com. Single event tickets can also be purchased at the gate for each event.  
    
    Full fair schedule runs July 25-30
    Fair officially begins Tuesday, July 25, with 4-H interview judging.
    Wednesday, July 26, begins with the 4-H horse show and gymkhana at 9 a.m.
    Open class projects can be entered Wednesday from 1-6 p.m.
    The Thrashers Color Run will also take place Wednesday at the fairgrounds beginning at 5:30 p.m., with a Rocky Mountain oyster/chicken strip meal served from 5:30-8:30 p.m. A corn hole tournament starts at 9 p.m., and the beer garden will be open 5:30 p.m.-midnight.
    The schedule Thursday, July 27, includes the rabbit and poultry show at 8:45 a.m., goat and dairy cow judging at 4 p.m., followed by the Catch It Goat contest and swine judging.
    Barrel racing, free to the public for viewing, begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, sponsored by Melissa Memorial Hospital. The Dutch Oven Cook-off judging also starts at 6 p.m., while the beer garden opens at 4 p.m.
    Friday will be a busy day, as the exhibit building opens at 9 a.m. Livestock judging starts with beef at 9 a.m. and sheep at 1 p.m. Horseshoe pitching also begins at 1 p.m., and the Planet Bounce Carnival, including inflatables, water slides and a mechanical bull this year, will be open from 2-9 p.m. The beer garden opens at 3 p.m.
    At 4 p.m. Friday, a Parade of Champions will take place in the show arena. Rabbit Bingo will immediately follow.
    Following the 5 p.m. barbecue and 7 p.m. stock car races and trick bikes, Braydon Zink of Iliff will be playing with a live band in the beer garden. Now based in Austin, Texas, Zink’s music is a fusion of Texas style and country music.
    The “Barn Raising Good Time” parade kicks off fair festivities Saturday morning, July 29. Parade entries being judged should be in line by 8:30 a.m. with all others ready by 9 a.m.
    Led by grand marshals Clark and Laverne Starkebaum and fair queen Kaitlyn Kent, the parade begins at 10 a.m. on Interocean Avenue.
    The Saturday schedule also includes the exhibit building open at 10 a.m., Orphan Grain Train brat feed in the Biesemeier Room at 11 a.m. and beer garden open at noon. Cow patty bingo starts at 12:30 p.m., and the salsa contest, horseshoe pitching and Round Robin competition all begin at 1 p.m.
    From 2-9 p.m., the Planet Bounce Carnival and mechanical bull will again be open for fun.
    The Junior Livestock Sale starts at 2:30 p.m., with a buyer’s barbecue following in the Biesemeier Room.
    Zink and his band will once again liven up the beer garden after the 7 p.m. Bulls Gone Wild show.
    Sunday, July 30, all exhibits will be released from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. to round out the Phillips County Fair.