Fayette County Fair Season runs from June through August.
Uniontown, PA - Summer is fair season, and in Fayette County, that’s an important – and busy – time of year. The county is home to a number of fairs, small and large, the first of which opens this coming weekend.
The largest, of course, is the Fayette County Fair, which will be held July 25 through Aug. 3 at the fairgrounds on Pechin Road in Dunbar Township.
Fair President Pierce Willson said many of the fair’s most popular events, including truck and tractor pulls, a demolition derby, and a monster truck event, will return this year.
“We have motocross, which is a popular one,” he said. “And dirt drag racing – we did it last year, and we’re doing it again this year. And (we have) the rodeo and mud racing.”
All of those events will take place in the outdoor arena.
“As for the indoor arena, we have Little Mermen, which is basically like a Disney band,” Willson said. “We’re going to have wrestling again, Ryse Wrestling. We’re bringing them back.”
Willson stepped in as fair president this year in place of Bill Jackson, but he isn’t coming in unprepared or inexperienced.
“I’ve been on the board for six years, and I was vice president last year,” he said. “But it’s a big set of shoes to fill, following behind Bill.”
Willson said a few events are in the works that can’t be announced just yet, and he expects fairgoers to be pleased with this year’s action- and activity-packed event. “I think it’s as good of stuff as we’ve had in a long time,” he said.
The Mountain Area Fair will be held June 22-29 at the Farmington Volunteer Fire Department Fairgrounds, 119 Elliotsville Road, Farmington.
Opening weekend will kick off with the Bull Ride Mania Rodeo on June 22 and the annual car show on June 23. Sunday also is wing night.
Official opening ceremonies will be held at 6 p.m., June 25, with a team penning event set for 7 p.m., in the Bates Recycling Arena. A Tough Truck competition will be held on June 26 in the same arena, and magician and balloon artist Weird Eric will perform on June 27 on the NAPA-Fayette Parts stage. Friday, June 28 is steak dinner night in the Pizza Shack Kitchen, and Appalachian Outlaws truck pulls will start at 7 p.m., that evening in the Bates Recycling Arena. Keystone Tractor Pulls will be held on June 29 in the same arena before the fair concludes with a fireworks display.
A carnival provided by LAM Enterprises will open at 6 p.m. June 25-29, and several musical acts will grace the NAPA-Fayette Parts stage during the week. A petting zoo will be open in the Gnagey Services Pavilion all week, and antique tractors will be on display in the Addison Farm Equipment building. Chance, the Dalmatian mascot, will be roaming the grounds as well.
August will also be a busy month for fairs in Fayette County, with the Dawson Grange Community Fair and the Bullskin Township Community Fair slated for consecutive weeks. The Dawson fair will be held from 5-11 p.m., Aug. 5-10 at 110 Chaintown Road, Dawson, and fair treasurer and social media manager Maria Catalina said visitors can expect a good mix of new and returning events.
“We have a wide variety of fun and exciting events for both adults and youth,” she said. “Some of our most popular events include the Friday night truck pull and Saturday night tractor pull. These events are always a hit, and we look forward to hosting them once again.”
Catalina said the Tuesday night ATV obstacle course race is an all-ages favorite of the kids, and Wednesday night’s pedal tractor pull and Power Wheels derby also should bring in the younger crowd, as should the pet contest on Saturday morning. The Monday night motocross race is fairly new but proved popular last year.
“This is the second year we are hosting the event, so we are hopeful to see some new faces come out to the fair,” she said. “This is an exciting event for all ages”
The fair will celebrate its 45th anniversary with a fireworks show on Friday evening, and there will be a basket raffle fundraiser all week, as well as live music every night, including local bands and karaoke.
“We will also be including more small activities for our youth, such as crafts, face painting, henna tattoos, games, and more that create a fun experience for the whole family,” Catalina said.
Immediately after the annual Dawson event concludes, local fair enthusiasts can head to the Bullskin Township Community Fair, set for Aug. 11-17 on the fairgrounds at 895 Pleasant Valley Road, Mt. Pleasant.
Fair President Jim Hoover said there aren’t too many new events on the schedule. Instead, the Bullskin fair is more about the tried and true, with several perennial favorites planned for the week.
“We’re having our Smoke in the Valley (truck and tractor) pull on Sunday,” he said. “Monday is our truck pull, Tuesday we have the kids rodeo, and Wednesday, we have the rodeo for the adults.”
Thursday will feature a quad obstacle race, and an antique tractor parade, followed by a tractor pull, are Friday highlights. Saturday is the demolition derby.
“They do us quite well,” Hoover said.
As with the Mountain Area and Dawson fairs, there is no general admission fee to enter, something Hoover said he feels is key.
“We keep our fair where you don’t have to pay to get on the grounds. You still have to pay to get in the arena,” he said. “I think it’s very important not to have (people) reach in their wallets just to get on the grounds.”
And though not charging a gate admission means the fair board doesn’t keep track of how many visitors the fair receives each year, there is a way Hoover knows it’s doing okay.
“I know we need to make more parking, because we often run out of parking,” he said.
To learn more about Fayette County’s upcoming fair season, visit the fairs’ Facebook pages or the following websites.
To learn more about Fayette County, visit www.fayettecountypa.org.
Editor's Note: Image attached (2024 Fayette County Fair Season)
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This communication, among other initiatives, is funded through the 2016 Fayette County Local Share Account (LSA) in cooperation with the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, Fayette Chamber of Commerce, The Redevelopment Authority of the County of Fayette, The Redstone Foundation and other partners. This funding has been designated for the continued promotion and marketing of Fayette County, PA.
For more information, contact Kristi Kassimer Harper, Public Relations Specialist, at 724-437-4571, kkassimer@fayettecountypa.info or Jamie Rankin, Journalist, at 724-437 4571, jamierankin13@gmail.com.
