By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
LITTLE VALLEY — This year’s 182nd Cattaraugus County Fair kicks off its eight-day run on Saturday, July 26 and goes to Saturday, Aug. 2.
“The 182nd Cattaraugus County Fair is back — bigger and better than ever,” said Nell Fellows, secretary of the Cattaraugus County Agricultural Society which owns the fairgrounds.
Last minute details are being addressed before 4-H and other exhibitors, vendors, entertainers and amusement rides set up later in the week. Demolition derby prelims are Monday and the championship derby on Saturday.
Pre-sale tickets are available this week to the 182nd annual Cattaraugus County Fair that starts Saturday, July 26, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 2.
The pre-sale tickets will save purchasers $3 off the pay-one-price of $15, which includes admission, parking, unlimited Amusements of America rides and the Thursday night grandstand show.
Pre-sale tickets are available at:
- County Fair office, 501 Erie St., Little Valley.
- online at www.cattarauguscofair.com
- all Cattaraugus County Bank locations.
- South Dayton Super Duper
- Community Bank, N.A. locations in Olean, Gowanda, North Collins and Orchard Park.
- online at etix.com
Tickets will be required for all grandstand shows. To reserve tickets go online to ETIX.com website. You can print off a ticket or show it at the gate on your cellphone. The tickets are also available at the County Fair front gate — including the day of the show, depending on availability.
Nightly grandstand events include:
Saturday – CS Pulling Series Truck/Tractor Pull.
Sunday – Broken B. Rodeo.
Monday – Demolition Derby.
Tuesday – Tracy Byrd concert (with Alex Miller).
Wednesday – Flatland Cavalry concert (with John Hollier).
Thursday – WNY Pro Pulling Series (free).
Friday, August 1 – Monster Truck Rally.
Saturday, August 2 – Monster Truck Rally (1:30 p.m.). Demolition Derby (6:30 p.m.).
More information can be found on the Cattaraugus County Fair website: cattarauguscofair.com.
Tuesday night’s grandstand performance by multi-Platinum country singer Tracy Byrd and Alex Miller, a rising country music star and American Idol alum, starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 for track seats and $30 for grandstand seats.
On Wednesday, Flatland Cavalry performs in front of the grandstand starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 for track seats and $35 for the grandstand.
Meanwhile, 4-H members are looking forward to an “Out of This World” county fair as they put the finishing touches on their projects and attend to their livestock including cows, pigs, sheep, goats and horses.
“Over 250 exhibitors are working hard to put the finishing touches on a variety of projects,” according to Kelly McDonald, executive director of the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cattaraugus County. “Some youth
are fine-tuning their recipes to bake a blue-ribbon worthy pie while others are training livestock for their showring debut.”
McDonald said, “This year’s 4-H theme is “Outerspace” which you may notice as you browse through the exhibits with a variety of decorations. While the animals are judged in the showring, exhibitors are also judged on the presentation of their stalls in the barn with criteria including the cleanliness of the stalls and the creativity of their decorations.”
The Mary Elizabeth Dunbar Youth Building located in the Corporate Building will also be filled with crafts, baked goods, and educational booths, among other things, and
is certainly worth a visit, McDonald said.
There are daily livestock shows along with the 4-H Meat Animal Sale rounding out the week on Saturday, Aug. 2, starting at 10:30 am.
There are also several free grounds entertainers throughout the week. They include:
- The Butterfly Kingdom, which features 200-300 butterflies including six different species. The educational exhibit shows a video of the life cycle of a butterfly from the egg to the adult butterfly. Feeding sticks are provided so fairgoers can interact with the butterflies.
- Magician Lance Gifford, who has amazed crowds across the country with magic and illusion for more than 30 years.
- Swift Swing pig races, always a favorite of the kids. They race for an Oreo cookie waiting at the finish line.
They have their own website at http://swiftyswine.com/home.htm.
- Glass artist Ryan Gothrup has been an educator of glassblowing for over 16 years. For the past seven years he has been using his mobile glass trailer to educate the public.
- Sea Lion Splash is a unique show that will have crowds cheering and laughing. The sea lions balance balls, shoot hoops, dance, perform handstands and show their pretty smiles. The show features both California and South American sea lions.
- The Dynamo Dogs ground act is the perfect show for family events. You’ll see trick dog show routines to Frisbee® dog acrobatics come together to create a one-of-a-kind canine variety show. The dogs vary in both size and skill, and many have been adopted or rescued. During the ground act, you’ll see hoop and rolling barrel tricks, fast action disc dog routines, high jump, and more!
_____________________________
All Rights Reserved. Eric M. Firkel. Star News LLC.
