By Emma Loura/Manhattan Mercury
The Riley County Fair is coming to town, bringing the lights and thrills of the carnival and saddling up for the rodeo.
The fair runs July 25-29 in CiCo Park. The event will feature a carnival by WEEE Entertainment and the Kaw Valley Rodeo at Wells Arena. This year’s fair will feature a scone-baking contest and many exhibits featuring animals, plants, crops and the arts, both fine and practical.
The carnival starts at 6 p.m. on all five days. The Kaw Valley Rodeo, which takes place on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, starts at 8 p.m.
Thursday’s festivities include 4-H judging for poultry and sheep as well as displays of fiber arts and clothing. The bake sale takes place at Pottorf Hall. Various exhibits and judging on livestock, geology, plants and entomology take place throughout the afternoon.
Friday will see 4-H projects in engineering and craftsmanship throughout the afternoon, like woodworking, rockets, and small engines.
Saturday events include dairy and beef exhibits, swine exhibits, as well as the judging of meat and dairy animals in Hurlburt Hall. Judges will decide on winners for the art and photography contest that morning.
On Sunday, attendees can see swine judging. The scone-baking contest takes place in Pottorf Hall at 1 p.m. Contestants are to prepare half a dozen scones. In Hurlburt Hall, the pedal tractor pull begins at 7 p.m.
Monday, the final day of the fair, is Fair Olympics, in which contestants participate in garden-themed races, beginning at 10 a.m. That’s followed by the livestock “skill-a-thon” at 12:30 p.m. And 4-H members will sell livestock that evening in Hurlburt Hall. Pottorf Hall will close to the public at 7 p.m., but the carnival continues until 10 p.m.
