SEARCY — The White County Fair will kick off its 75th consecutive year with a parade at 4 p.m. Monday in downtown Searcy. The annual horse show will be at 2 p.m. today, and the White County Fair Horse Show Queen and Princess will be crowned.
Fair board president Mitchell Spurlock said it is expected that 80,000 to 100,000 people will walk through the gates during the six-day fair week.
“As a single-county fair, we are in the top 10 in the nation,” Spurlock said about the attendance.
A few new things going on at the fair this year are the ride Nemesis 360 and an antique tractor pull, which will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the arena.
“New this year will be Monster Truck Jamboree,” said Kim Harrison, a fair board member. “This will be Thursday night in the derby pit. Fairgoers need to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy. We are looking forward to having a very good crowd for this new attraction.”
There will be a sanctioned rodeo and bull-riding event at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Bellamy Brothers will perform at 8:45 p.m. Friday at the entertainment center.
Admission on Tuesday is free, but on Monday and Wednesday, gate admission is $4 for adults and $3 for children 6-12; Thursday through Saturday, admission is $8 for adults and $6 for children 6-12. Parking is $2.
“As with all of our events, admission is free with their gate admission,” Harrison said. “There will also be an Antique Tractor Pull in the Rodeo Arena on Saturday morning, which is new for this year,” Harrison said. “This is something that we used to do and brought it back as part of our 75th.”
T-shirts commemorating the 75th year of the fair will be available at the fair office for $10.
“Our tabloid has clippings from the get-go,” Spurlock said about the commemorative tab that features memories from the 75 years of the White County Fair.
Saturday, the fair will conclude with the annual Demolition Derby at 6:30 p.m. and the rodeo at 7:30.
“The Demolition Derby has been going on as long as I can remember,” Harrison said.
For a full schedule and more information on the White County Fair, visit whitecountyfairgrounds.org, or call Harrison at the fair office at (501) 268-1568.
“The fair will wrap up [Saturday] when the last person walks out of the gate,” Spurlock said.