The fifth annual Henry County Fair will take place Wednesday, Sept. 24, through Saturday, Sept. 27, at Martinsville Speedway.
The event is sponsored by Henry County, the Henry County Department of Parks and Recreation, Jones & DeShon Orthodontics, VisitMartinsville, Bassett Furniture, B99.9, SW Virginia Gas, Hooker Furniture, Bryant Radio Supply, Sarver Properties, Campbell Family Foundation, and The Phillips Group, Inc.
Henry County Parks and Recreation Director Roger Adams said the fair will feature rides, games, food, entertainment, and animal exhibits.
“With our fair we always specialize in entertainment, so we will have some awesome rides. We’ll have over 20 rides that will be split between rides for younger children and rides for teenagers and adults,” Adams said.
Each night will include two ground shows, beginning with the Jurassic Kingdom Show, a dinosaur-themed attraction.
“Then we have the Pompeyo Amazing Dog and Magic Show, which is a little bit different. They’ve been here for a few years, they were on “America’s Got Talent,” so they’re adding a magic portion to that,” he said.
The agricultural contest will feature competitive exhibits in several categories, including fresh fruit and vegetables, miscellaneous agricultural products, flowers and plants, quilts, crocheting, textiles, and more.
“We have all the wonderful animals from Affinity Acres, and you can really see a wide variety of animals. They bring their camel, they’ve had an armadillo, a porcupine, just all kinds of animals that you can see and interact with,” Adams said.
Concerts will also be a highlight of the fair.
Adams said Wednesday will feature a tribute band night with Creedence Clearwater Recital performing.
“Thursday night is B99 night. We have Love Story — The unofficial Taylor Swift Tribute band, and then Friday is B99 night and we have national recording artist Rhett Walker,” he said.
A fireworks display will close out the fair on Saturday night.
If the weather cooperates, Adams anticipates more than 5,000 people will attend over the four-day event.
“Last year we were slammed on Saturday, but we had the tornadoes Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, so rain interrupted the fair on all three of those nights. So, Saturday we had a record crowd,” he said.
As the Henry County Fair is still new compared to others that have been around for decades, Adams said organizers are working to expand awareness.
“We’re reaching out through a variety of means to let folks know” about it, he said.
Fairgoers can save $5 per unlimited ride wristband if purchased before the event begins.
“They’re good any night of the fair, so that can save a family of” four or five people “$20-$25 right there,” Adams said.
Unlimited ride wristbands cost $25 and can be used any night of the fair.
“You can ride as much as you want the whole day and whole night,” Adams said.
Tickets are available at www.colerides.com/tickets. For more information, visit www.henrycountyvafair.com.
