FAYETTEVILLE -- For as long as Ferris wheels have draped the sky and scrawny-armed boys have tried to win stuffed animals for their high school sweethearts there has been an ongoing debate.
Games or rides?
Fair schedule
The Washington County Fair opened to the public Tuesday. Gates open at 10 a.m. daily. General admission is $5. The petting zoo is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. The pig races run in the evening through Saturday.
Wednesday
K-12 students are admitted free from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• 8 a.m.: Market Hog Show
• 1 p.m.: Goat Show
• 5 p.m.: Midway opens
• 6:30 p.m.: Youth Talent Show, Outdoor stage
Thursday
Attendees 62 years and older are admitted free from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
College students are admitted free with college I.D. from 10 a.m. until closing
• 5 p.m. Midway opens
• 6:30 p.m.: 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction, Livestock arena
Friday
• 5 p.m.: Midway opens
• 7 p.m.: Livestock Beauty pageant, Livestock arena
• 7-10 p.m.: 4-Wheeler Rodeo, rodeo arena
• 10 p.m.- 2 a.m.: Midnight madness at the Midway
Saturday
• 9 a.m.: Youth dog show, Livestock arena
• 9 a.m.: Horseshoe Pitching contest, Rodeo arena
• Noon-midnight: Midway open
• 2 p.m.: Dutch Oven Cook-Off judging, front gate
• 2 p.m.: Farmhand Olympics, livestock arena
• 7 p.m.: Bull Riding, Rodeo arena
Source: Staff report
Organizers of the Washington County Fair expect a record crowd this year thanks to a growing population and soaring interest in backyard or hobby farms. The fair's midway officially opened Tuesday and continues until the final day Saturday.
Founded in 1857, the fair has become known for its staples. Livestock auctions, animal exhibitions, pig races, the four-wheeler rodeo, talent shows and the Dutch oven cook-off are just a few featured attractions.
But all the standard fair fare happens on the midway. Just about everyone has gone to a fair and just as many seemingly have an opinion on the best way to have fun.
Stella Garton, 11, is decidedly pro-rides. She got on the Vortex, which swings riders up about 100 feet, idling for moments at the top while everyone hangs upside down before swooping back to near ground-level.
"It's like the best feeling in your stomach," she said. "I love that feeling."
Her cousin, Isabel Garton, 13, said she likes games but admitted the rides are more fun.
"When we got to the top I was off of my seat the entire time," she said. "I thought we were going to fall, but we didn't."
Stella's sister, Vivi, 10, said it felt like flying. Her other cousin, Charlie, 10, opted to stay grounded and wave at the girls.
Games are just too tame for Stella. While everyone was hanging upside-down, she threw out some rock 'n roll hands, not even holding on.
"They're a little cheesy," she said. "This is a little more, like, exciting and fun."
A dart game caught the attention of Dustin and Katie Glover, whose 2-year-old daughter Blakely couldn't quite get the distance to pop one of the balloons on the wall.
That's when Dad came in. Dustin Glover hit two darts and with an assist from the man working behind the counter, holding a balloon close for Blakely to pop, got enough for a small, stuffed ladybug.
Immediately afterward, Blakely saw a much larger blue fish grinning from gill to gill hanging from the stand and pointed at it.
"Daddy's gotta spend some more money," Dustin Glover said.
Perhaps the thing to unite all is the food.
Hailey Mercer and Keaton Sheets spent a date sitting on a bench at the food court. The college-age couple had just gone to U.S. Pizza in Fayetteville beforehand but came to the fair with a mission.
The State Fair of Texas reigns supreme where Mercer is from near Dallas. But even at the massive event, which basically runs through all of October, Mercer said she opts for the traditional cuisine of corn, turkey legs and just about everything imaginable fried.
"It's the only place you can go to get a funnel cake," Mercer said.
NW News on 08/30/2017