There’s nothing ‘small’ about this year’s fair

    Small Town Showdown is the theme for the 2018 Phillips County Fair, running Wednesday-Sunday, July 25-29. While our close-knit, rural community built on tradition of family and friends will have some of the same attractions as fairs past, there are some “not so small things” to see at this year’s fair.
    The brand new, grandiose show pavilion is up and ready for livestock and fairgoers. The Heginbotham Hall of the Phillips County Event Center will be filled with general/family consumer science 4-H projects, open show displays and vendor displays. Livestock exhibitors, catch-it-goat contest, catch-it-rabbit contest, tiny-tot shows, Dutch oven cook-off, salsa contest, barrel racing, the tractor and truck pull, bull-riding, food vendors, the fair parade, kids games, horseshoe pitching and the American Ninja Warrior Course are highlights of just some of what is offered at this year’s county fair. So many community volunteers work months before, during and after the fair to make it all possible. We invite you to become a part of this year’s Showdown.
    Why volunteer? People volunteer for an event or a cause for numerous reasons. First, they have a personal interest in the event or cause. Second, they want to feel like they help toward the success of something. Third, they were asked to be part of a team they enjoy. Fourth, they want to be a part of a solution to making an event or cause better or more successful, or maybe it is just to have something to do. Whatever the reason, the Phillips County Fair cannot take place without volunteers.
    For instance, the open show displays require many hours of preparation. First, volunteers take entries in the following classes: garden, floriculture, baked and preserved goods, crafts, fine arts, quilts, special themes and the pre-K-third-grade arts and craft show.
    They enter the display name and details into the Show Works computer program. This program is designed to make payout and reporting easier at the end of the fair. The display is then printed a tag, which is then matched to the item. The tagged item is then placed in the class area in the display hall. This process is open to the public from 1-6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 25, at the Phillips County Event Center.

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