The 2015 Oconto County Fair will run Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 20-23, at the fairgrounds at Zippel Park in Gillett.
A patriotic opening program will kick off the fair at 6 p.m. Thursday, to be followed by a lawn mower pull at 7 p.m. in front of the grandstand. Free live music will be provided from 8 p.m. to midnight at the refreshment stand stage by Rocker.
Friday events include the NEW Motorsports 4X4 truck pull at 7 p.m. at the grandstand. Music on stage will be provided from 8 p.m. to midnight by the high energy country band Diamond and Steel.
The horse pull event returns at 9 a.m. Saturday and the farm tractor pull at 7 p.m. in the grandstand. The Sugarbush Boys will perform from 12-4 p.m., with country performer Brittany Bexton singing from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Neal Zunker and the Music Connection will provide musical entertainment at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, and the fair wraps up with the Ag Olympics featuring a Mutton Busting participation event for the kids at 7:30 p.m. in front of the grandstand Sunday night.
Open class fair exhibits will be accepted Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, Aug. 18 and 19. Junior fair entries will arrive and be judged Thursday. Animal judging shows will take place Friday and Saturday.
The junior fair horse show will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, with the caged bird and small pet show at 8:30 a.m., cat show at 9:30 a.m. and dog obedience trials at noon Sunday, Aug. 16, before the main fair starts.
Spectrum Entertainment returns with more rides than last year and wristband ride specials every day of the fair.
The advanced sale of discount wristband coupons is happening at Peshtigo Bank in Gillett and Oconto Falls; N.E.W. Credit Union offices in Oconto Falls, Oconto and Suring; Lena Fast Stop in Lena; and Wagner Shell Food Mart in Oconto.
The $14 coupons can be used to purchase wristbands at the fair valued at $20. They can be used during the ride special times any day of the fair.
The new kids attraction this year is Casady’s Critters, a self-contained petting zoo featuring domestic and exotic animals. Visitors will pay $1 to enter the zoo to interact with the animals.
For information about the fair, visit www.ocontocountyfair.org.
