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David Smith, the Monroe County Fair Public Information Director, said the fair will feature many of the attractions attendees have grown to enjoy over the years while also providing a few new wrinkles in the scheduling.

“Our fair grand opening will be Saturday at 10 a.m.,” Smith said. “It will begin with about a five mile trail ride from the Saddle Club all the way to the fairgrounds.”

The five-mile trek by the county Saddle Club is growing into a tradition after three consecutive years marking the fair’s opening. As families begin packing their cars to head toward the fair grounds, the parking arrangements for attendees will be identical to the previous year’s and as the opening date approaches, the opportunities to purchase weekly parking passes is dwindling.

“The parking will be the same as every year through general admission gates 4 and 5,” Smith said. “Weekly parking passes will be accepted at any gate this year, but the people have to make sure to purchase them soon. Noon on Monday the 26th is the last day to get them. After that, they won’t be available.”

Smith said the most frequent question he fields during the days leading up to the fair are concerning the armband nights during the week. Armband nights refer to the evenings when attendees are able to purchase bands to participate in different attractions at a discounted price.

“The armband nights are really our busiest nights,” Smith said. “They will be Monday and Wednesday nights. 4 p.m. on Monday and 12 noon on Wednesday.

“They will be $7 per person and will include access to carnival rides, auditorium events, grandstand events and will include parking.”

One of the fair’s newer attractions this year will also take place during the grand opening featuring a shooting demonstration.

“One of the highlights of the grand opening will be a shooting demonstration by the Illiana Rangers,” Smith said. “It’s the first time we’ve had them come here and it’s going to be free to the public so it should be fun.”

The Illiana Rangers are a cowboy mounted shooting club know well in Indiana as well as surrounding states. The group, founded in 2001, has won state shooting championships in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Illinois.

4-H events during the Monroe County Fair also garner immense attention from the surrounding area as many local residents participate in the programs. Jeff Holland, Monroe County 4-H director, said the 4-H programs have seen an immense growth in participant numbers over the last year

“There are 960 4-H members in Monroe County this year, which is a 10 percent increase since last year,” Holland said. “We usually have a two to three percent increase or decrease throughout each year so a 10 percent increase is great.”

Holland said as the date for the fair to open approaches, the deadlines for many of the 4-H events are approaching rapidly.

“All animals scheduled to be on the grounds during the fair are set to arrive Saturday,” Holland said. “There should be around 325 4-H members participating. All 960 members will have some part of the fair whether it’s in the 4-H building or during the livestock fair. All of the members will participate.”

With the increased number of members, the attractions set up for visitors are expected to vary greatly.

“The 4-H building will open Saturday at 4 p.m. and we want to invite everyone to see some of the finest exhibits in the state of Indiana” Holland said. “There will be nearly 1500 different types of exhibits made by 4-H covering everything from arts and crafts to wildlife.”

Many of the 4-H events during the fair will run similar to past years, but one event in particular is worthy of being featured despite being several years old and will take place preceding the 4-H auction.

“Thursday at 6 p.m., we plan to hold a pre-auction banquet,” Holland said. “This is our way of thanking the buyers and it’s also a way for the 4-H members and to reacquaint themselves with the buyers.”

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