The fair is almost here!

The 109th Clearwater County Fair will be held on August 5 to the 9th. Free gate with fun, food and friendship for all who attend the annual event at the fairgrounds in Bagley. 

The hockey arena will be full of commercial exhibits.  There is indoor and outdoor places are for rent. You can contact Booth Superintendent Cheryl Grove at 694-2637 or Al Paulson Fair Manager, at 694-6520 or at home 785-2368.

Gospel music will be held in the grandstand starting at 7:00 p.m. David Dunn will be featured with general admission of $5.00. This event is sponsored by the Bagley Ministerium.

Also on Wednesday night from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. will be the armband night. $20 for the band and that can be bought at the carnival.

Entry day and judging for various divisions will be held. The 4-H Style Review will be held at 5:00 p.m.

Family of Fun Shows will be on the midway with advance tickets being sold in area towns. Bagley – Coaches’ Corner, Galen’s Super Value, Thrifty White Drug, Kubiak’s Family Foods; Clearbrook – Bakken’s, Y-92 Convenience, First State Bank and North Country Hardware; Gonvick – Northern State Bank and Northern Bait & Tackle;  Fosston – First National Bank, K’s variety and LePier’s; Bemidji – Pete’s Place West; Lake Itasca – Rock Creek General Store; Gully – Gully Schoolhouse Grocery; Leonard – Strand’s Store and The Leonard Café; Lengby – The Roadhouse; Shevlin – County Inn; Solway – Hwy 2 West Express and Zerkel – Knutson’s Store.

Clearwater County Fair Pre-Entry Forms for Open Class entries not 4-H was placed last week in both the Leader-Record of Clearbrook and Gonvick and the Farmers Independent in Bagley. They are looking for exhibitors and vendor space is available for inside and out. Over $24,000 was paid out last year in premiums to exhibitors.

The Rodeo will be held at the grandstand starting at 7:00 p.m.

Donkey racing in the grandstand will be held starting at 7:00 p.m. Rhythm and Ride Show will be held this year at 7:00 p.m. in the Horse Arena. The Little Tot Horse Show will be held at 9:00 a.m. for 2nd grade students and under. From 9 to 4 in the pines will be the Flea Market and Craft Show. There will be all kinds of items for you to look at including repurposed furniture, rocks shop, custom embroidery, quilting, crafts, jewelry, dolls, vinyl decals, homemade soap, dishes, baked goods, books and more. For more information call Laura at 694-2656.

Saturday is plum full of events for the 109th Clearwater County Fair goers. The Open Horse Show starts at 9 a.m. in the Horse Arena. The Flea Market and Craft Show goes on again from 9 to 3 on Saturday. A man and a woman will be named as Senior Citizens of the Year on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in the Hockey Arena. Nomination forms were available at the Clearbrook-Leonard Senior Center in Clearbrook and the Bagley Senior Center. Committee Co-Chairmen have been Dee Strandlien at 785-2412 and Al Paulson at 694-6520.

The Marshmallow Contest will again be held in Petersen Pavilion in the center of the fairgrounds. Entry will be at 10 a.m. with judging at noon. It was amazing what young people made at last year’s contest with marshmallows. There are three age groups Ages 4-5, Ages 6-7 and Ages 8-10.

Get ready for some loud noise on Saturday starting at noon. Local pullers with out-of-field tractors, local pickups and semis will be in action. At 7:00 p.m. that night the tractor and pickup pull will be held. For more information you can call Neil Harmon at 218-358-0456 or go to www.rrvpa.com. RRVPA - Red River Valley Pullers Association is a club dedicated to modified truck & modified tractor pulling. Members from North Dakota, Minnesota, and Manitoba Canada are individuals and organizations that promote the motorsport of competitive pulling.

A Cowboy Church Service will be in on the stage in the pines at 9:00 a.m.

Wild Rice Recipe Contest will be held with entries from noon to 1:00 pm. Judging will be at 1:30 p.m. This will be the second year for this event sponsored by Riviana Foods, Pine Lake Wild Rice and Gunvalson Farms. You can test your skills using wild rice to make breads, hotdish or salads. This will also take place at the Petersen Pavilion. Products will be sold with proceeds going to the Clearwater County Food Shelf.

Entries for the cupcake contest will also be held on Sunday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. when they will be judged. Three groups will compete with youth and under to age 10, senior citizens over 65 and all other ages. Cupcakes should be with a theme for the month that it is entered, either January, February or whatever month. They will also be at the Petersen Pavilion with proceeds going to the Clearwater County Food Shelf.

The popular Demo Derbies will be held on Sunday sponsored by the Bagley Lions Club. 2:00 p.m. Full Size & Compact Cars with inspections to start at 9:00 a.m. 7:00 p.m. will feature the Chain & Go, Pickup Class, Modified Pickup Class and Modified Full Size Class. Inspection will start at 5:00 p.m. All questions regarding rules, drivers and pit crew can be answered by calling AJ Ysen at 218-556-5552.