In June 11 IssueBy Derek AaronTimes Journal ReporterThe 2009 edition of the Russell County Jaycees Fair began last Saturday night and has been going strong all week with high attendance numbers, according to fair officials.
This year marks the 114th time the event has been held at Veteran's Fairgrounds in Russell Springs.
On a somber note, this is the first fair without the old grandstand, which was torn down earlier this year after it was deemed too unsafe for occupancy.
Saturday saw the baby show and pageants get underway with the nightcap being the big car demolition derby, which was won by Tony Scales of Russell Springs.
On Sunday, the best in cars and tractors made their way to the local fairgrounds to compete in the ever-popular car and tractor show, according to fair officials.
The carnival began on Monday evening along with the Young Miss Russell County Fair and Miss Russell County Fair pageants. Chandler Ashton Wade of Russell Springs took home Young Miss honors while Whitney LeeAnn York of Russell Springs was crowned Miss Russell County Fair.
Brittany Meece of Jamestown was crowned Miss Russell County at the pageant.
The night ended with the Kentucky Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull Association's truck pull. The event brought out good attendance numbers as many spectators covered their ears from the loud engines as the trucks pulled some serious weight.
Tuesday saw a full day of events that began with the dairy show and floral hall exhibits. The championship mule pull and lawn mower pull as well as championship wrestling was held in the grove.
On Wednesday, ATV races headlined the schedule which again brought out a large crowd, despite the rain.
Thursday's day of events is scheduled to get underway at noon with Game Hype Gaming. Then the Coca-Cola Talents Show will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the small car demolition derby, powder puff derby and lawn mower derby at 7 p.m.
On Friday the State Hereford Show begins at 1 p.m. The open and 4-H beef show is set to begin at 6 p.m. The KTPA truck pull will get underway at 7 p.m. while a chainsaw carving exhibit will begin in the grove at 8 p.m.
To cap off the fair, a full day of activities is slated to begin on Saturday at 8 a.m. with the 4-H shoot. At 9 a.m., the much-anticipated kids day events begin. At 10 a.m. the FFA Tractor Driving and Hay Toss and the Horseshoe tournament begin. At 1 p.m. the cornhole tournament begins with horse racing to begin at 2 p.m.
At 4:30 p.m., the Russell County Derby, one of the last county fair derbies in Kentucky, will be ran followed by the horse and mule pull at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., the evening's feature, the rodeo will begin with closing ceremonies and giveaways sending off the fair at 10 p.m.
The carnival opens at 6 p.m. each night with an $8 gate, according to fair officials.
The Jaycees have worked hard to prepare for this fair all year long, so if you haven't made it out yet, be sure to head over to Veteran's Fairgrounds in Russell Springs to check out what all the talk is about before its too late.
