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Fair Returns To Horse Center This Week
The Rockbridge Regional Fair and Expo returns to the Virginia Horse Center this Thursday, Sept. 12, and runs through Saturday. Fair activities will take place at the facility’s East Complex (Reel Arena) and the Appomattox Mezzanine.
Area residents are invited to come for free music, 4-H and FFA livestock events, learning labs, expo exhibits, a quilt show, and a celebration of all things Rockbridge with the theme “Let the Good Times Grow!”
The fair also features bounce houses, an obstacle course, a wrecking ball bouncer, carnival games, a tractor driving contest, a cornhole tournament, and a mechanical bull in addition to the Fair Farm activities over the three days.
The fair returns to the Virginia Horse Center, after taking place in Glasgow for the past three years.
Fair board chairman Bill Russell said, “I speak for the entire board when I say how excited we are to be back at the Virginia Horse Center, one of the premier event venues in the Eastern United States. While it’s a little bittersweet leaving the great people in Glasgow, we are impressed with how excited the management, staff, and vendors of the VHC are to have us back. This is a transition year for us, so we are both excited about the opportunity and aware of how much we need to get done.”
The food trucks, vendors, bounce houses, obstacle course, wrecking ball, and carnival games are open from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, and from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday. The mechanical bull will be open from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, and from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday.
Musical Entertainment Local talent is showcased at this year’s fair, and area residents are encouraged to come and support some of the stars of our community.
Lexington singer/songwriter Will Reid leads off the musical entertainment at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. The Pickup Band brings a mix of highenergy rock and country to the arena at 7 p.m. Friday, and hometown girl SJ McDonald is bringing her band from Nashville to serve up country music on Saturday night at 7.
McDonald said, “It’s high time I played at the RBC fair again! I think it’s been at least six years since I’ve performed at the horse center, and it’s very exciting to be a part of the revamp. Growing up in the 4H Stockman’s Club, my favorite time of the year was always fair week, and something about those blue roof pavilions made it so special. I’m hoping the same will happen for the next generation at the fair!”
Attendees are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket if they wish to sit during the performances.
Livestock and Poultry The Rockbridge 4-H/FFA Livestock Show takes place on Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. followed by the Rockbridge 4-H/FFA livestock auction at 6:30 p.m.
The Rockbridge 4-H/FFA Breeding Show takes place from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. on Saturday, and the 4-H Poultry show runs throughout the day on Saturday.
Fair Farm
The Fair Farm showcases Rockbridge County’s agricultural heritage and features an antique farm equipment display each day throughout the fair as well as fun activities for all ages.
On Thursday, there will be a Farm Kids Zone where kids can participate in hands-on activities from 5 to 8 p.m., fiber arts demonstrations from 5 to 8 p.m., cow milking demonstrations from 5 to 6 p.m., and sheep shearing demonstrations from 6 until 8 p.m.
On Friday, the Farm Kids Zone is open from 4 until 8 p.m. Meet the sheep, goats and cow from 4 to 8 p.m., and cow milking demonstrations will run from 6 until 7 p.m.
The Farm Critter Scramble takes place on Saturday at 4 p.m. Children ages 5 to 8 get to catch chickens, and children ages 9 to 12 get to catch piglets. There is a Farm Kid Contest beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday with the winner announced at 7:30 p.m.
Quilt Show
A quilt show presented by the Rockbridge Regional Fair & Expo and the Rockbridge Pieceworkers Quilt Guild (RPQG) featuring 70 entries will be held at the Appomattox Mezzanine from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday and from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Fair attendees will get to participate by choosing their favorite quilt through the viewer’s choice award.
Additionally, there are several hands-on quilting demonstrations. “Foundation Paper Piecing” will be presented at 11 a.m. on Friday. On Friday afternoon at 1 and 3, fairgoers can participate in the “Make a Quilted Mug Rug” demo. Saturday morning features a learning lab on “Civil War Reproduction Quilts and Fabrics” at 11 a.m. and “Hand Quilting on Fabric Coasters” at both 1 and 3 p.m.
Learning Labs
This year’s fair also features several learning labs.
Tom Stanley, agriculture Extension agent, said, “County fairs have a long tradition of bringing rural communities together to celebrate advancements in agriculture, and the bounty of the local landscape.
“The fair board wanted to offer the learning labs to encourage people in the Rockbridge region to connect with the local landscape and sustain the county fair tradition of fostering appreciation of our natural resources. The learning labs are designed for adults and everyone is welcome,” he said.
A Land Conservation learning lab, where participants can learn about soils, conservation easements, use-value assessment, and incentives for water protection, takes place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Friday’s Composting and Soil Health learning lab, with Rockbridge Area Master Gardeners demonstrating how to make the best compost and strategies to super-charge your soil’s biology, takes place at 6:30 p.m. The Introduction to Beekeeping learning lab, where fairgoers can learn the basics and what’s involved with this fascinating way to engage nature, takes place on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Other Fun Fair Events
If this is not enough to keep area residents busy, there are many other events, including a cornhole tournament Saturday at 10 a.m., a tractor driving contest on Saturday at 10 a.m., Redneck Olympics at 3 p.m. Saturday, and a carpentry contest at 6 p.m. on Saturday. If you work up an appetite or just want to watch some fun, there is a watermelon eating contest at 6 p.m. on Saturday followed by a pie eating contest at 7 p.m.
Russell said, “As a fully volunteer organization, we’ve been blessed with a great board, support from the county, and eager participants. We’ve had lots of enthusiastic participation already from the student artists, young 4-H members, and the Rockbridge Piecework Quilt Guild.”
Admission to the fair, bounce houses and other activities, and parking are all free of charge.
