The Howard County Fair and Livestock Show will be held Sept. 2-7 with some new events added this year, according to Fair Board President Linda Kitchens.
Kitchens said there will not be a midway again this year but there will be several cooking contests and a hale bale decorating contest plus the return of the fair parade.
Registration is well underway for youth who plan on showing livestock at this year’s fair. Registration forms are available at the Howard County Extension Office with a July 22 entry deadline.
Kitchens said another change this year will be moving the livestock premium sale to Friday morning (Sept. 6) instead of the normal Saturday date. The sale will start at 9 a.m.
Hale Bale Decorating
The contest is open to all 4-H clubs, FFA chapters, Boy or Girl Scout troops, civic clubs, home extension clubs or churches.
The round hay bales will be provided to contestants and will be decorated at the fairgrounds. Entry forms must be received by Aug. 1 and must include a sketch or diagram of the planned decoration. If entries exceed the number of available spaces, entries will be determined by the postmark date of the entry.
All entrants will be notified by phone or email if selected to participate.
Bales must be decorated no later than Wednesday, Sept. 4, Judging will take place Thursday, Sept. 5. Bales can be placed lying on their sides or standing on end. A maximum of five square bales may be included in the decoration.
No oil based or toxic materials can be used in the contest and decorations should be weather and wind proof. Commercial signage, advertisements or political party signs will not be allowed.
Barbecue Chicken Contest
Saturday, Sept. 7
Final product completed for judging at 12 noon.
Youth Divisions 9-13 and 14-18
$10 entry fee
Adult Division – $20 entry fee
Contestants must preregister by Sept. 3. Register in person at the fair kitchen or by calling (479) 287-3292.
RULE 1 – Competition in the contest is open to all residents within a 50 mile radius of Howard County Fairgrounds. Contestants will be judged on barbecue skills –appearance, taste, doneness.
RULE 2 – Contestants will have until 12noon to prepare their entry. Chicken will be provided on the day of the contest. All entries must be cooked at the fairgrounds. Contestants must provide all supplies, except chicken. Including charcoal grill, charcoal, lighter fluid, seasonings, preparation table, and grilling supplies.
RULE 3 – Contestants will have two hours to cook their chicken once it has been picked up. Chicken not be provided to the contestant prior to the contest. The two hour time limit will start once chicken has been picked up. Contestants are expected to work by themselves.
RULE 4 – Contestants are responsible for keeping their cooking area tidy and for clean-up following the contest. Food safety rules are a must! Use of gloves for sanitary reasons is strongly suggested.
RULE 5 – Each contestant will prepare two chicken leg quarters provided by the fair association. Only one leg quarter will be judged.
RULE 6 – Seasonings or marinades, must be furnished by the contestant. Seasonings or marinades, if used, may be commercial or private recipe (description must be provided to judges on a recipe card to assist during flavor and appearance evaluation, recipe will not be shared).
RULE 7 – Contestants are expected to use a meat thermometer to determine doneness; internal temperature of 165⁰F. Meat thermometers will not be provided.
RULE 8 – Contestants will turn in product by 12:00 noon. Winning entries will be announced after the contest. NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED IN JUDGING AREA UNTIL JUDGING IS COMPLETE.
RULE 9 – Judges will not taste any product, submitted for judging, that is deemed unsafe due to lack of doneness.
Judging Score Card
Appearance – 20 points; Degree of Doneness – 25 points; Texture – 20 points; Flavors – 35 points
Awards: 1st place trophy, 2nd place trophy, 3rd place trophy in each division
Pie Contest
Check-in 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7
Adult and Youth Divisions (ages – 9-13 and ages 14-18)
$5 pre entry
RULE 1 Competition in the contest is open to all residents within a 50 mile radius of Howard County Fairgrounds
RULE 2 Entries will be accepted on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. only. Judging will begin promptly at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Winning entries will be announced after the contest. NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED IN JUDGING AREA UNTIL JUDGING IS COMPLETE.
RULE 3 Pie must be made by the participant. Either ready-made or from scratch pie crusts may be used. One pie per category may be entered.
RULE 4 Participants should bring their entry in a disposable pan. All entries will be cut and sampled by the judges and all decisions of the judges will be final. Pies will be cut and sold, by slice, after judging is complete.
RULE 5 COORDINATORS HAVE THE RIGHT TO REFUSE ANY ENTRY.
RULE 6 Monetary award will be presented to overall winner. Award amount will be determined by number of entries.
Judging Score Card
Appearance – 30 points; Texture – 20 points; Color – 10 points; Flavor – 40 points
Cupcake Contest
Check-in Saturday, Sept. 7
Youth Entries Only – open to youth residents within a 50-mile radius of Howard County Fairgrounds. Entries will be accepted from 10:30-11 a.m.
There will be no tasting of the cupcakes by judges instead it will be judged for overall appearance, creativity, difficulty and use of color. There will be five divisions: frosted, sprinkle, floral theme, animal theme and misc. Categories will be divided by age – 5-8, 9-13 and 14-18.
Fair Parade
Saturday, Sept. 7 at 9 a.m.
Participants must be pre-registered by Tuesday, Sept. 3. Forms are available at the Nashville News-Leader office, Extension Office and fair office.
Class 1: Horse and Rider Senior
Class 2: Horse and Rider (16 and under)
Class 3: Educational; floats for adults
Class 4: Educational floats for junior groups (4-H, FHA, FFA, etc)
Class 5: Commercial floats
Class 6: Other clubs and organizations (scout troops, churches, etc)
Class 7: Antique autos and tractors
Class 8: Kiddie Parade – sponsored by the Nashville Junior Auxiliary
Awards and points will be awarded for each parade class.
The annual Howard County Fair and Livestock catalog is currently being prepared and will appear in the July 31 issue of the Nashville News-Leader.
The Howard County Fair Board members include Kitchens, vice president Deb Kruel, secretary Sherri Hipp, treasurer Bill Bean and board members Beth Lamb, Karter Castleberry, Mark Kitchens, Stacy Janes and Randy Thompson.
