By Ryan Berry

DailyAdvocate.com

GREENVILLE — The Great Darke County Fair is finally here and great weather is in the forecast for this nine-day, nine-night affair. The “Greatest County Fair on Earth,” as it is billed, opened its gates at 7 a.m. with activities beginning at 8 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 18.

A lot of activities will take place across the fairgrounds this year. As always, the concert generates a lot of buzz and this year is no exception. The concert will be held on Saturday, Aug. 20 and will feature Whiskey Myers who has been selling out concerts across the country. The band was featured on the hit show Yellowstone. Tickets are still available for the concert.

That’s only one day of exciting events. Visitors will find there are eight more thrilling days just like those. Horse racing, tractor pulls, motorcycle racing, high school band concert and the demolition derby are events taking place in front of the Grandstand. While that would be more than most fairs can handle, it is just the beginning of what is in store at the Great Darke County Fair.

Fair goers will have plenty of livestock to see in the north end of the fairgrounds with junior fair and open class cattle, sheep, goats, swine, poultry and rabbit shows lined up. Or, head to the south end to see a variety of horse shows, including the ever-popular horse pulls, or take in a dog show or two.

Still not enough? Stroll the midways and get your fill of festival food. Try something new or find your familiar favorites. Funnel cake, elephant ears, sirloin steak, cheese curds, lemon shake-ups, sausage sandwiches, French fries… and the list goes on and on. If it’s deep fried, you can probably find it at the fair.

Do you want more? The Great Darke County Fair has it. Stop by the south end midways and enjoy the thrilling rides from PrimeTime Amusements or stop by the Gazebo for free musical entertainment from regional artists. Try your hand at horseshoes in one of their daily tournaments. Increase your knowledge at any number of educational displays or visit the Youth Building on the final Friday of the fair for the Friday Sampler. You can also see one of the cutest shows on the fairgrounds on Monday when you stop by the Youth Building for the Little Miss & Mister Darke County Fair contest.

There is so much to see and do at the Great Darke County Fair. For a full list of activities, visit the Daily Advocate booth in the Coliseum and pick up a fair magazine. The magazine has the official fair schedule. Also be sure to take a look at our television featuring pictures taken during this year’s fair. Who knows? You might just see yourself.

Do you have pictures you want to share your favorite moments from the fair? We’d love to see them. Send them to rberry@aimmedimidwest with “fair pictures” in the subject line. Be sure to include names of those in the pictures. They could appear in our special section in September. Also, be sure to save your favorite pictures for a contest next summer. Your picture could be featured on the cover of our 2023 Fair Magazine. This year’s winner was Katy Fisher with her photo, “Showing a calf for the first time.”

To contact Daily Advocate Editor Ryan Berry, email [email protected].