Are you ready? County fair is just around the corner

Published 2:29 pm Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Get ready for classic summer nights and carnival fun, it’s fair time!

The Jefferson County Fair promises to bring classic fair activities, along every night and the annual rodeo on Friday and Saturday night, July 25-26.

The 2025 fair theme is “Your Gateway to Carnival Lights & Summer Nights,” honoring Jefferson County’s ranching legacy and the many musical acts hitting the stage during the fair.

Music begins on Tuesday evening with the Fair Kickoff Concert featuring the all-female AC/DC tribute band Hells Belles playing at 6 p.m. Rusty Jackson’s Highwaymen Tribute plays Wednesday at 8 p.m., followed by The Substitutes, Thursday at 8 p.m., then Friday at 9 p.m., and local group Countryfied plays, and closing on Saturday night at 9 p.m. is Petty Fever Tribute Band.

The carnival promises to bring classic fair rides and games, and the fairway will feature stilt walkers, jugglers and balloon artists strolling throughout the day.  Marcus: Funny man Who Does Tricks and Tri-City Steel Band Association’s Marimba Bands will perform in the afternoons at the Indian Head Casino pavilion.
Entries to the fair will begin being accepted on Monday, with all entries except flowers being entered from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Entry forms can be found in the Fair Book which is available at the fairgrounds and The Pioneer office.

The fair officially opens Wednesday morning, July 23  with the veterans and first responder’s breakfast under the pavilion starting at 8 a.m. The breakfast is provided by McDonald’s.

Carnival rides open at 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 12 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Tours of the historic Ferrell homestead and pioneer schoolhouse are offered Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Of course, a highlight of the county fair is the rodeo. the Northwest Professional Rodeo Association-sanctioned rodeo takes over the arena at 7 p.m. both Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for those 6 through 12, and free for kids 5 and under.

Livestock auction

The hard work of 4-H and FFA livestock club members all culminates with the annual Jefferson County Livestock Association 4-H and FFA Market Auction Saturday night,  July 26, at the Jefferson County Fair Bi-Mart show barn. The auction will begin at 4:30 p.m., to allow it to conclude at a reasonable time.
Jefferson County Livestock Association provides an auction barbecue open to buyers. It will be held from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. near the show tent.

Sponsored by the JCLA, the auction provides an outlet for market stock raised by 4-H and FFA club members.

Local business owners and individuals are invited to join the excitement at the auction by bidding on the hogs first, followed by rabbits, chickens, steers, sheep and goats. Buyers help support Jefferson County youth by purchasing their market animals.

Champion animals are bid on first, followed by reserve champions, then the other animals. Bid ceilings are set by what the champion animal in each category sells for.

At the auction, the public also gets the chance to meet the individual kids and see the effort they have put into raising and showing their animals. Market animal classes are determined by weight.

Beef market steers range from 1,150 to 1,500 pounds, market lambs from 110 to 155 pounds, market swine from 230 to 290 pounds, and market goats from 80 to 120 pounds.

Market rabbits (a pen of three fryers), at 4 to 6.5 pounds each, under 60 days of age,  market chickens, (a pen of three fryers) at 5.5 to 7.5 pounds each, under 70 days of age, and market turkeys 15-35 pounds and 5.5 months or younger. 4-H and FFA club members have personally invited business owners, farmers, and individuals from all over the county and beyond to attend the auction and help support the clubs.

For more information about the auction, contact Mark Wunsch at 541-419-9944 or Kristina Gomes at 541-460-2055.
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