By LINDA CHION KENNEY
The Hillsborough County Fair opens Nov. 3 for its 11-day run, with offerings that include livestock shows, Gospel Jam performers, rodeo riders, cowboy poetry, truck and tractor pulls, and pie-eating and pumpkin-carving contests.
Moreover, said Betty Jo Tompkins, a member of the Hillsborough County Fair Board of Directors, “We’re excited to welcome a tasty and diverse group of fair food vendors and a new and expanded midway, with a host of offerings we know our thousands of visitors will be excited to ride.”
It all takes place at the Hillsborough County Fairgrounds in Dover at 215 Sydney Washer Road, where the newly opened livestock building is featured along with the newly dedicated little red schoolhouse. This showcase of Hillsborough County school district history is named in posthumous honor of former superintendent Dr. Earl Lennard Jr., a Riverview resident who served on the Hillsborough County Fair Board.
“Not only has the fair been successful in constructing new facilities for continued expansion but at the same time has added programming to its array of activities,” Tompkins said. “Fairs represent the very root of tradition in showcasing America’s agricultural heritage. This is a tradition we need to keep alive now more than ever because agriculture plays such a critical role in our very survival.”
As always, the fair is a draw for Hillsborough County youth to showcase their work at beef, goat, dairy, sheep, rabbit, poultry and swine shows. “The fact is, this is a major showcase with more than 200 chickens, turkeys and other fowl, as well as 100 sheep and large numbers of all other livestock,” Tompkins said. “What makes this so important is that young people learn not only how to take care of their animals but how to produce quality record-keeping, which is absolutely an essential lifelong skill.”
Meanwhile, big shows scheduled for the fairgrounds arena start with the Bulls, Barrels & Broncos Rodeo, set for 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4 and 5. Set to raise arena dirt one week later is the Truck & Tractor Pull, set to start at 7 p.m., Nov. 11 and 12. The Demo Derby is set to begin at 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13. Tickets ordered in advance include a $10 gate admission discount.
Also in the stadium, the Titan Sprint, free to watch, is set for Friday, Nov. 3. In two laps, it covers 1.5 miles and 30 obstacles, with waves of 50 advance registrants starting every 30 minutes, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Free entertainment daily includes Disc Connected K-9’s, America Show Camels, Scotts Magic Show, the Fire Fighter Show and the Fritzy One-Man Circus, with the fair’s mascot, “Farmer Syndey.” Also on tap, Hillsborough County performers on the community stage.
Ribbons for entries in a slew of competitions include those for photography, arts and crafts, painted rain barrels and hay bale decorations. Inside the Hillsborough Soil and Water Conservation District tent, poster contest and youth horticulture show entries will be on display, with tables set aside for youth activities and community rain barrel decorating. The HSWCD 6th annual Great Plant Auction is set to start at 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13, featuring the donations of area nurseries in support of HSWCD youth programming and scholarships.
Live fair competitions include the Gospel Jam (Nov. 11, 7-11 p.m.), Harvest Idol (Nov. 12, 7 p.m.) and the Front Porch Jam (5:30 p.m., Nov. 4 and 5), featuring “cowboy poetry, story tellin’, a little pickin’ and a lot of grinnin’.” Cowboy poet Les McDowell, author of Tales From the Trail, is scheduled to appear.
Registration begins 15 minutes before carving time for the pumpkin-carving contests, set to begin at 8:45 p.m., Friday, Nov. 4, and 2:15 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 12. The first-come first-served pie-eating contests are set for 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5, and 4:30 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13.
Registrants for the Youth Speech Contest are scheduled to battle it out 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3. Also set to compete are advance registrants in the Harvest Pageant for Children (2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5) and the Harvest Parade for Babies (2 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 13). The entry deadline for the baby parade is Nov. 7, with judging in two age categories, birth to 1 year and 2 to 4.
New to the fair this year is the Mullet Pageant, scheduled for 6 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 6, open to “contestants of all ages who love their mullets.” Advance registrants will be judged for attitude and personality, freestyle of wardrobe, coolest mullet and overall performance in five age categories, ranging from mini-mullet (ages 5 to 10) to senior mullet man (ages 31-plus).
Also new this year, “Back-to-Your Roots Gardening,” featuring portable container gardens crafted by students using such things as recycled bins, wooden boxes and plastic swimming pools. The Hillsborough County Fair Art Puzzle Piece project will be showcased as well, featuring the work of school-aged children crafting pieces that fit this year’s fair theme, “Homegrown Fun.”
General fair admission is $10 for adults, $4 for seniors (ages 65 and over), $7 for students in kindergarten through grade 12 and free for children ages 5 and younger.
Special days include Dollar Day on Nov. 3; Hillsborough County Employee Appreciation Day on Nov. 5 (with free admission for each employee showing a county ID); Free Admission Day on Nov. 7; Two-Dollar Tuesday Day on Nov. 8; Carload Night on Nov. 10 (with a $75 charge for up to eight people, which includes admission and ride armbands); and Veterans Day on Nov. 11, with free admission for hometown heroes with identification, including active and retired military and police, fire and rescue and hospital employees. Ride armbands range from $20 to $25, depending on the day.
Gates open at 5 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, both Thursdays and the first Friday. Gates open 10 a.m. both Saturdays and Sundays and at 1 p.m. for Veterans Day, Nov. 11. For more, visit www.hillsboroughcountyfair.com or call 813-737-FAIR.