By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
The 2023 Wood County Fair starts Sunday, July 30 and runs daily through Sunday, Aug. 6 at the Wood County Fairgrounds, 13800 W. Poe Road, Bowling Green. Hours are daily from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. except for Friday and Saturday when the fairgrounds close at midnight.
There are activities, commercial and noncommercial booths, food vendors, displays of everything from produce and photographs to baked goods and needlework, livestock shows and special events. Here are some of the basic things you need to know to navigate the fair.
The theme of this year’s fair is 150th Fair Family Reunion. The Wood County Agriculture Society is celebrating 150 fairs, just not consecutively. A special anniversary reception is scheduled Sunday from 4-6 p.m. in the Pratt Pavilion Conference Room. Past Junior Fair Queens and Kings have been invited and the public is invited to join the celebration and to reminisce about the fair’s history.
Admission to the fair
Daily gate admission is $10 for ages 10 and up; children 9 years old and under are admitted free. Daily gate admission may be purchased online (+ a $0.96 fee) and either printed and shown at the gate, or shown on a cell phone. Daily tickets can also be purchased at Gates A (Haskins Road open for deliveries and track events), Gates B and C (walk-through only) on the north side of Poe Road, and Gate F (walk-through only) by the Junior Fair Building.
On Sunday, veterans and active-duty military will be admitted free with proper ID. Thursday is Senior Day, with free admission to individuals 65 years and up with proper ID.
Membership passes for Wood County residents can be purchased for $30 at the Wood County Fair Office today (July 29) until 4:30 p.m. Exhibitor tickets, also $30 for daily admission to the fair throughout the week, are available at the fair office for non-county residents, and for county residents after the membership deadline. Membership and exhibitor passes admit the owner for daily admission to the fairgrounds all week.
Parking is free in the lot south of the fairgrounds on Poe Road and also in the back part of the campground off of Brim Road.
Rides schedule
The rides will not operate on the first day of the fair (Sunday, July 30), because of the ride company’s schedule at another fair, and the need for the state to inspect the rides before they open to the public. However, the rides will open on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from noon to 11 p.m., and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 3 to 11 p.m. Ride wristbands are $18. On Wednesday, which is Kids Day, ride wristbands are $13 each to ride from noon to 5 p.m.
Grandstand entertainment
Grandstand entertainment for the fair includes a country music concert, featuring Craig Morgan and Easton Corbin. The concert is Friday night (Aug. 4) at 8 p.m. Concert tickets, which are non-refundable, are $35 for grandstand general admission and $50 for track general admission (standing room only). The VIP track tickets are sold out.
Concert tickets can be purchased online (additional fees charged) or at the ticket booth on the fairgrounds, which opens at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and at 5 p.m. on Thursday. Grandstand gates open one hour prior to the show. The concert ticket does not cover the cost of the fair gate admission. A daily gate ticket (or fair pass) is required for entry to the fair.
Sunday (July 30) is the Junior Fair Parade and the crowning of the 2023 Junior Fair Royalty. The opening ceremonies start at 7 p.m. and the parade kicks off 7:30 p.m. The Junior Fair King and Queen are announced after the parade.
Harness racing returns to the fair in front of the grandstands on Sunday (July 30) at 12:30 p.m. and Monday (July 31) at 5 p.m.
Thursday night’s grandstand event will be something to cheer about. Cheerleading teams will be competing for trophies when the event begins at 7 p.m. There is a $5 fee for spectators (19 years and older) to watch the event.
The Mini Rod/Truck Pull is the Saturday night grandstand event, starting at 6 p.m.
Demolition Derbies
The demolition derbies are scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. in front of the grandstand. Tuesday’s Multi Vehicle Derby features minivans, fair kids Power Wheels, lawnmowers and combines. Wednesday’s demo derby includes cars and trucks. Grandstand seats for each demo derby are $5 and pit passes are $10.
More music
For music lovers, three additional concerts are planned for The Grove Concert Series. There is no additional charge beyond gate admission to listen to: Eric Sowers Band on Monday (July 31) from 7 to 10 p.m.; Hayrock on Thursday from 7 to 10 p.m.; and Riverbend on Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. Frank Fries is the sponsor of the Grove Concert Series.
The Voices of Harmony will provide strolling entertainment Sunday (July 30) from 3 to 7 p.m.
Livestock shows
Watching any of the livestock shows throughout the fair is always interesting (check daily schedules for dates and times of the various shows), but watching young kids show animals is a real treat. This year there are five pee wee showmanship events: swine, Monday at 6 p.m. (or after the overall grand champion show) in the Pratt Pavilion; goats, Thursday at 9 a.m. in The Grove; beef, Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the Pratt Pavilion; sheep and horses, Saturday at 10 a.m. The lamb showmanship will be in the sheep arena and the horses will be in the horse arena.
All of the pee wee shows, except the horses, are in the Pratt Pavilion. The pee wee horse showmanship is in the horse arena.
Ring of Dreams is a new event this year that is similar to the pee wee showmanship events except the animals are being shown by individuals with developmental disabilities and assisted by local junior fair members. Organized by Amanda Barndt, the show promises to be a heartfelt and inspiring event at 4 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 3) in the Pratt Pavilion.
Entries on display
There are thousands of entries to view at the fair. The Home and Garden Building showcases flowers, canning, culinary, needlework, wine and homebrew. A wide variety of produce are featured in the Grange Building. The Fine Arts Building houses entries of arts, crafts, hobbies, collections, fine art, photography, woodworking and models. The Junior Fair Building has all of the 4-H clubs’ booths and projects on display, and the junior fair and open class livestock can be found in the various animal barns.
