Big Horn County Fair revival

New events and projects on full display this week

Lawn mower racing, ranch polo and goat roping are just a few of the new events this year at Big Horn County Fair. 

The fair will offer free-to-watch grandstand events on Monday and Tuesday night to draw a bigger audience for fair projects. The quilt show, which has not run for several years, will be back in full swing, playing into this year’s theme: “Echoes of the Past: County Fair Revival.” 

“I’m trying to get people here, on the fairgrounds, interacting and realizing fair is for everybody,” said fair operations manager Catherine Foss. 

She highly recommended purchasing event tickets, especially grandstand, online in advance at bighornfair.com. 

PIG BARN CONSTRUCTION

On top of the festivities, construction has begun on the new pig barn, which at this point, with walls still waiting to be installed, is being rebranded as the pig shelter. 

“The pig barn has been a fundraiser item, an item of concern for a lot of years,” Foss said. 

County funds helped kickstart the project this season, which thus far has included a concrete floor and electricity. There is a roof and old wash racks available, and the plan is to utilize the space this year. Panels are expected to be installed this week. 

All the work has been done by locals, with BHB Electric, A&W Hunt Construction and the county maintenance crew chipping in. Panels were recently purchased through MTR Ranch Supply. 

“We still need lots of work, because it needs to be enclosed, or it needs something around it to keep pigs in. So we will still take any donations we possibly can to make that better,” Foss said. “It’s going to have to be a process because of how expensive it is.”

NEW ON THE SCHEDULE

A week-long rubber duck scavenger hunt will kick-off Monday, July 28 at the fairgrounds. Each ducky will be numbered for a correlating prize. Once a duck has been submitted, it will be turned loose in the fair’s “duck pond.”

“It will be fun for all ages; if you’re walking around and happen to see a duck lying around, grab it!” Foss said. 

Two new horse classes, two-handed snaffle bit and ranch trail, will be showcased on Monday with other horse classes starting at 8 a.m. 

A Ranch Polo Calcutta, free for spectators to watch, will run in the grandstand Monday at 5:30 p.m. Four-person teams are invited to sign up by calling Rusty and Emily Karst at 307-272-3012.

“Once the teams are filled, it’s filled,” Foss said. 

A free stage jam session begins in the midway Tuesday, July 29 at 5 p.m. All are invited to share their musical talents. 

Pee Wee equitation, a new event open to 4- to 8-year-olds who are not 4-H eligible, will begin at noon on Tuesday. 

In the grandstand Tuesday night is goat roping at 6 p.m., which is free to spectators. The idea follows a successful run of the event in January, where adults were invited to rope goats and kids tried to snag themselves a ribbon. Cost is $10 per roper at the gate. 

“I’ll tell you that the best entertainment is those dads who can rope, when they miss and their kid’s looking at them like, ‘Really?’” Foss laughed. 

Tablescaping will take place amongst static events beginning at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, July 30. The open class event will pit multigenerational table display designers against each other. The event, which has become popular in Showcase Showdown, was requested by 4-H members, Foss said. Call the fair office at 307-568-2968 to get signed up. 

Ranger Katie will host a demonstration in the Midway area at 11 a.m. on Wednesday followed by Mermaid Storytime with MauRena Scott at 3 p.m. Scott will continue Storytimes at 3 p.m. through Friday. 

Wednesday also begins “a little bit of mission impossible,” laser maze in the Midway area, which will start at 11 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The maze will be staggered by age range, so anyone 0-100 can enjoy. Putt-putt golf will run alongside. Tickets are available on the fair website.  

Wednesday through Saturday, family movie night will be held in the Midway area at 8 p.m. Showings will be “Charlotte’s Web,” “Babe,” “The Little Rascals,” then “The Lion King.”

Foss was excited at the reintroduction of the Big Horn County Fair Quilt Show, spearheaded by Jan Barnett and Marylou Doyle. Foss remembered a time where the quilt show was booming; fair sign-in books held thousands of names. 

“That tells you it is an attraction. It will get people here to look at it,” she said. 

The quilt show will also have an “Echoes of the Past” wall of photos, playing into this year’s Fair theme. The event will be held in the main fair hall starting at 9 a.m. Thursday and run through Saturday. 

Friday’s ranch rodeo at 5 p.m. will be followed by a laser light show and dance with the Buck Wyold band around 9 p.m. 

New on the schedule is a cornhole tournament; registration closes at 1 p.m. on Saturday with the competition to begin at 2 p.m. There is money in the game; sign up by calling 307-272-4764. 

The circuit rodeo has been moved to 6 p.m. on Saturday this year. 

Sunday will see the fair’s first lawnmower races, costumes encouraged but not required. The race will run as part of the demolition derby exhibition, beginning at 2 p.m. Call Joe Maul at 307-431-5154 for more info. 

JUST A SNAPSHOT

Big Horn County Fair has a loaded schedule this year. Fair books can be viewed online at bighornfair.com. For more information, call the fair office at 307-568-2968.