Rock ‘N Roll yourself to the 2023 Sumner County Fair this Aug. 3-6
Sumner Newscow report — Rock ‘N Roll yourself to the 2023 Sumner County Fair and celebrate 96 Years of the annual event held August 3-6 in Caldwell. The fair board has planned events for all ages to enjoy.
Entering of exhibits will be done Thursday evening, August 3, from 5 to 8 p.m. and again Friday morning from 8 to 10:30 a.m., so bring items and come enter them at the fair! You might win a special prize in the Entry Lollapalooza.
Each item you enter in the fair will entitle you to one ticket for the grand prize entry drawing; for example, if you enter a quilt, a plate of cookies, a craft item, and a watermelon, your name goes in the drawing box 4 times! The more items entered, the better chance of being a cash winner! There will be an adult division (ages 19 and over) and a youth division (ages 18 and under).
Prizes for each division will be $100 first; $80 second; $60 third; $40 fourth; and $20 fifth. Winners will be drawn and announced before the Saturday night program.
Several special theme contests will be held in conjunction with the 96th celebration. This year’s new contest is the Painted Rock Search; no more than two painted prize rocks have been hidden “in plain sight” on public property in each Sumner County town. If you find a rock, you must bring it to the fair to claim your prize.
Another new contest this year is the Best Cinnamon Roll contest for youth under 18. This contest is in honor of Clara Ginn, who was superintendent of the junior domestic science department for many years. Participants must make and enter 6 cinnamon rolls in the Junior Domestic Arts and Science department by 10:30 am on Friday morning; entries will be judged on presentation and taste. Other theme contests include a photography contest that demonstrates either the ROCK or the ROLL part of the theme and a photography contest featuring a photo of your “favorite hound dog” in honor of the King of Rock ‘n Roll—Elvis.
Once again, there is the Creepy Crawlies contest. The third theme contest is the Painted Rock Contest; paint a design on a rock and bring it to the fair. More details and information regarding these contests can be found in the Fair Tabloid and on the Fair Facebook page. Bring these entries down Thursday evening or Friday morning. There will also be various contests, such as the biggest bug contest, in the departments, so check the fair tabloid and be sure to enter those contests also!
Plan on attending the CORK and CANVAS at the Creative Vibes Art Studio beginning at 7 pm Wednesday, August 2; a portion to the ticket price goes to the fair prize fund. RSVP to creativebivesartstudio@gmail.com to reserve a space to sip and paint! Note the date and time change!
The charity event this year will be helping the DUI Victims Center of Kansas. All monies raised will be donated to the DUI Victims Center. Heather Plaza and Rebekah Rickstrew are chairing this event and have several fun events planned for the weekend. Check the fair tabloid for more information.
Livestock shows will be held on Friday and Saturday; check the fair tabloid for times. The Herding Heroes show will be at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. The Junior Livestock Auction will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. The Horse Show was to be held on June 3 but was postponed due to rain. Check the fair Facebook page for updates about when the show will be held. The show will be held at 765 W 150 St S north of Caldwell at the Marc Neal home.
Friday afternoon, there will be a Barnyard Corn Hole Tournament for all youth livestock exhibitors at the fair. Inside the new fair building, there will be Friday Funday activities for youth ages 18 and under! Create a glow jar and play bingo where it is cool! The Pedal Pull will be held at 6:30 p.m. (please note the new time); all pullers will need a fair button as their ticket to pull! Before the evening program, Sumner County Farm Bureau will pass out free ice cream bars! The Friday evening platform program will begin at 7:30 pm with the Grand Opening of the 2023 Sumner County Fair.
FARM OLYMPICS will be the featured entertainment beginning at 8 p.m. Teams will compete in the area before the stage, so gather your team and be ready for some “down on the farm” fun. There is no entry fee to participate, and teams must have six members with at least one female member, two members under the age of 12, one member over the age of 40, and the other 2 members can be any age and gender. All members of the team will be required to participate in the event. Bingo players can try their luck after the platform program.
Saturday events include livestock shows beginning with the Rabbit and Poultry Show at 8:30 a.m. Of course, the Kolache Kitchen will be open, and the popular beer garden and Czech food trailer will be open for business.
Kid’s Day events will be held again on Saturday afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m. Turtle races will be held again and will start at 1:30 p.m. PARTICIPANTS SHOULD PROVIDE THEIR OWN BOX TURTLES! A few turtles will be available in case you cannot find one. Various games will be held and will include the popular sand pile dig at 2 pm. From 1 to 4:30 p.m., there will be a free water slide courtesy of Cowley College—Sumner Campus.
Other Rock ‘n Roll Activities will be held from 2:30—4:30 p.m. Registration and line-up for the Kiddie Parade will be held at the KanOkla store beginning at 6:00 p.m. ALL kiddie parade entrants will be a part of the Grand Parade at 6:30. The Kiddie Parade entrants will follow the color guard down Main Street to the Stock Ex Bank corner where they will be released to their parents. ALL kids are encouraged to join the fun!
Following the Grand Parade at 6:30 pm, everyone is invited to come to the fairgrounds and grab a free hamburger at the Jackpot food trailer courtesy of Gaston’s Flooring. The Saturday night platform program will feature HEARTLAND DUELING PIANOS inside the Community Building. This will be an interactive family show, so come enjoy time with your friends! Saturday evening from 7 to 11 p.m., there will be Bounce Houses and Extreme Inflatables, including a little Tykes bounce house, a slide bounce house, the extreme rock wall, meltdown, bungee trampoline. The cost of the four hours of fun is a $20 armband. The evening’s activities will conclude with bingo.
Sunday morning, everyone is invited to come have breakfast at the fair courtesy of Mid-Kansas Coop. It will be served from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Community Building. Country Church will be held at 10 a.m. following the breakfast. Hope Church will lead the worship service this year. Sunday’s church offering will be donated to the DUI Victims Center charity. Premium checks can be picked up from noon to 12:30 p.m. in the Community Building. Exhibits will be released at noon so the building can be prepared for the Buyer’s Lunch which begins at 1:30 pm. The livestock auction will begin at 2:30 p.m.
Don’t forget to purchase a fair button designed by Nora Steffen. Buying a fair button enters you in the grand prize drawing for four $100 prizes; register your button at the platform programs for nightly drawings. Be sure to search for the medallion; clues will be posted at the fair building and on the fair’s Facebook page. Finding the medallion will earn a prize of $100! Kid’s Day button drawings will also be held with 15 ten-dollar bills being given away! Save your button and bring it to the race events on Aug. 18 and 19 for a $1 savings on gate admission. Hope to see you at the 96th Sumner County Fair Aug. 3-6 in Caldwell!
