August 2, 2017 at 4:29 p.m.
It's fair time in Oneida County
It's fair time in Oneida County
By Kayla Thomason-
Fortunately for those fair fanatics, the Oneida County Fair is finally here. The fair kicks off Thursday evening and will feature the usual mixture of stomach-flipping rides, fruit- and craft-based contests, entertainment and savory food.
The opening ceremony is set for 5 p.m. Aug. 3 and the public is welcome to watch.
The national anthem will be performed by Toni Grotenhuis and the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Jim Pederson of the VFW.
Ron Bosi, deacon at Nativity of Our Lord Parish, will bless the fair.
Once the ribbon is cut the fair will be officially underway and the crowd can start exploring the grounds.
Hours for Thursday are 5 to 11 p.m. Wristband price is $20 from 6 to 10 p.m.
All tickets and wristbands can be purchased at the fairgrounds.
The fun continues Friday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., with ticket sales only.
Saturday the fair is open from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wristband time is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. After 3 p.m. it's tickets only.
The last day of the 2017 Oneida County Fair is Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wristband time is noon to 4 p.m.
A trolley will transport people back and forth from the old hospital parking lot on Kabel Avenue to the fairgrounds at no charge.
There will also be designated handicap parking on Oneida Avenue close to the south (main) entrance.
Rides and contests
What is a fair without the rides?
K & M Amusements is expected to bring about 15 fun rides for the community to enjoy, everything from children's rides to the more daring gut-spinning or dropping ones.
There will also be some carnival games so don't be afraid to test your luck.
Among the new activities this year is a pallet recycling contest. The categories are garden, outside use, indoor use, and display or poster of your pallet for large projects that can't be transported.
Winners will receive gift certificates from area businesses.
According to fair coordinator Nancy Gehrig, the committee came up with the idea for the pallet contest after browsing the internet.
"Rob and another gal on the fair committee has a lot of pallets and so she sees it on Pinterest, a lot of different ideas out there and so yeah they said 'Let's add a new contest this year,'" she said.
Lynn Feldman came up with the idea to use posters for the large items.
Gehrig said pallets can be picked up from many businesses such as Printpack.
Entry fee is $5 and proceeds go to the fair. Judging will is set for 5 p.m. Friday.
The watermelon eating contest is back again. Participants will wolf down a quarter of a watermelon.
This year, the contest will be divided into age groups, and the winners for each group will receive gift certificates to area businesses.
The Hodag Farmers Market is sponsoring the contest which is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.
"This is our third year and we've had great report, great attendance for it, lot of kids had a lot of fun," Gehrig said.
The Ugly Lamp Contest also returns, with categories including Just Plain Ugly, Most Unique, and Best Decorated.
The Floral Container Contest includes traditional, unusual and fair favorite categories. It is sponsored by Hanson's Garden Village, Forth Floral and CCL Gardens. Winners will receive gift certificates from these businesses.
Judging for the Floral Container and Ugly Lamp contests is Friday, Aug. 4.
Pickup for all entered items is Sunday at the end of the fair.
Gehrig thinks that the uniqueness of the items submitted in the various contests is what keeps drawing people to them.
Two tournaments will take place in the Senior Pavilion. The Cribbage Tournament will be held at 1 p.m. Aug. 4 and Bingo will be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Aug. 5.
Winners from these events will receive gift cards from area businesses.
Events and attractions
The Milwaukee Bucks Bangos Road Trip Basketball Entertainment Group is coming to the fair again this year. The group is set to entertain the masses starting at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5.
"They are an acrobatic basketball team," Gehrig said. "They interact with the whole crowd, it's cool, it's really cool."
The Northwoods Equestrian Drill Team will show off some mad skills between horse and rider as they perform shows for the crowd.
Long, little doggies - purebred Dachshunds -will get to race along during the ninth annual Pat Dineen Memorial Doxie Dash Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in the Animal Alley area.
Animal Alley is sponsored by Drs. Foster and Smith. The pet supply company will also have a booth set up.
There will be some fun activities and crafts for children at the Home Depot Build A Project station. The YMCA will have a booth with children's activities as well.
Children in 4-H can show the skills their dogs have mastered in the agility demonstrations in Animal Alley. Other 4-H projects will be located in the exhibit court.
Casady's Critters and its menagerie of adorable monkeys, goats, rabbits and other animals will be on hand. Children and families love to pet, feed and interact with them.
There will also be pony rides for the children.
The Amazing Zachman, a magician, will be back with more comedy and tricks sure to delight the crowd.
The members of Belegarth Medieval Fighting Competition will be back again to reenact, dressed in renaissance attire with swords and shields.
The dunk tank is available again this year for groups or organizations as a fundraising event.
Nate Nuszkiewicz, also known as Potlicker, will be finishing up a project he started six years ago at Pioneer Park.
"He wants to come and finish it, and what it is, is the tree that's on the north end - it's a big oak tree if I'm not mistaken - it's on the north end towards Holiday Gas Station," Gehrig said. "He's finishing a carving of a Hodag eating a white bulldog."
The Hodag Farmers Market will be held on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market offers fresh vegetables, honey, breads, soap and many other items.
Volunteer fire departments will be soaking the fairgrounds Sunday during their Water Wars.
There will also be a raffle, $5 apiece or five for $20. The drawing is Aug. 6 at 5 p.m. Winners do not need to be present to win.
Items include a scenic flight for three from the Rhinelander Flying Service, an overnight stay with breakfast at Days Inn, a one-day guided fishing trip with guide Lee Bastian, pizza a month for a year from Dominos, an oak sofa table from McNaughton correctional, an oak foyer hat rack with mirror from McNaughton Correctional, four rounds of golf with cart from Rhinelander Country Club, $100 cash from Walmart, a weekend stay at Oaken Bucket Resort, and Leopold binoculars from Mel's Trading Post.
Food and drink
The food is a highlight of every fair and the Oneida County Fair is no exception. There will be plenty of munchies available to satisfy any taste - hamburgers, brats, pizza, Greek food, Italian cuisine, egg rolls, ice cream, and so much more.
The fifth annual Friday night fish fry fundraiser, sponsored by Fisher's Resort, will be held from 4 to 7 p.m.
On Aug. 5 from 4 to 7 p.m. Pickin' and Chicken - a new fundraiser for the fair with barbecue chicken and bluegrass music - will be held. Food is $10 a plate and includes barbecue chicken, cheesy hashbrown potatoes, oven-roasted green beans, coleslaw and cornbread. This event is sponsored by CT's Deli.
People can quench their thirst at the Beverage Garden which will serve water, soda, beer and wine.
Music
Northland Music Jam Band, a four-piece variety band, will perform from 8 to 11 p.m. Thursday on the Big Top Stage.
On Friday, TuneSmith Academy will have four bands playing rock music from noon to 3 p.m. on the Village Green.
They will be followed by Tuck Pence, a Northwoods troubadour, from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Village Green.
The four-piece country rock band The Whitehouse Players will wrap up Friday night from 8 to 11 p.m. on the Big Top Stage.
On Saturday, Hand-Picked Bluegrass will perform during CT's Bar-B-Qued Chicken and Bluegrass Pickin from 4 to 7 p.m. on the Village Green.
Get ready to sing along to "Dancing Queen," Abba Salute, a seven-piece rock band, will wrap up Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. on the Big Top Stage.
On Sunday, One Accord, a Pine Grove Gospel Group, will play from noon to 1 p.m. on the Village Green.
Rounding out the entertainment Sunday will be Aaron Williams and the Hoodoo, a three-piece blues band, from 2 to 5 p.m. on the Big Top Stage.
Sponsors, info, volunteers
The north gate is sponsored by Drs. Foster and Smith, the south gate is sponsored by WJFW and the Barnes Street gate is sponsored by Holiday Gas Station.
The fair is always happy to have volunteers as gate greeters, and to help with exhibits and transportation.
Anyone interested can visit http://www.oneidacountyfairwi.com/volunteer.html.
For more information on the fair, a list of food vendors attending and a detailed schedule of events, visit www.oneidacountyfairwi.com/index.html.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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