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REGIONAL WRAP: FAIRS AND FESTIVALS DRAWING ATTENTION IN SEA

Monday, September 21, 2009 12:32 PM CDT

Throw a rock in almost any direction in our corner of the state and you will hit a fair that has just wrapped up, is opening this week or next, and a festival. It’s that time of the year.

Fairs are important to many communities, serving as a homecoming for some and the opportunity for youngsters to exhibit their prize animals and Grandmother Martha to collect another blue ribbon for her famous apple pie.

We couldn’t help but notice the Grant County Fair has added a new event— the Best Dressed Goat and Sheep Contest — for the 2009 edition of the fair, which got under way during the weekend, according to The Sheridan Headlight.

Pageant competition at Sheridan was held Saturday and exhibitors were scheduled to set up their educational exhibits Sunday, with other exhibits due today and Tuesday. Exhibits are open to the public Tuesday as judging continues.

In case you are interested, the Best Dressed Goat and Sheep Contest is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, three hours after the Sheep and Goat Show.

The rodeo is scheduled 8 p.m. both Friday and Saturday, The Headlight said, with the Rodeo Queen Contest set for 9 a.m. Saturday at the fairgrounds.

Timberfest near

The 26th annual Grant County Timberfest is scheduled for Oct. 2-3, a story in The Headlight indicated, with the Timberfest Pageant to be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sheridan High School.

Timberfest includes a variety of competitions from the Arkansas Lumberjack Competition to a talent show to cook-offs during the two-day run on the County Courthouse square.

Sonny Burgess and the Pacers, rockabilly icons, will be the featured entertainment, The Headlight said.

Fordyce fair

The Dallas County Fair will be held Wednesday through Saturday at the fairgrounds in Fordyce, with gospel singing scheduled for Tuesday from 6:30-8:30 on the lawn of the Dallas County Courthouse.

The Fordyce-News Advocate said educational exhibitors can begin moving in starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday with livestock scheduled to arrive at 6 p.m.

The annual fair parade will be held Thursday. Participants will line up at the Beech Grove Baptist Church on West Fourth Street and leave from the church parking area, then continue through the downtown along Main Street, ending at the fairgrounds.

The annual fair beauty pageants were held Saturday.

Bradley fair

The 70th annual Bradley County Fair was held Sept. 9-12, with junior livestock exhibitors collecting $11,695 in premiums for their efforts, according to The Eagle Democrat at Warren.

Businesses and individuals bid on the livestock, but don’t get to keep the animals when they are the high bidder. The money goes to exhibitors to help defray some of their expenses for exhibiting their livestock at the county, district and state fairs, The Eagle Democrat noted.

Drew fair

The Drew County Fair got under way Saturday morning with three pageants and will end its run with the Ms. Drew County Pageant and an open rodeo Saturday evening, according to the Advance Monticellonian.

At one time it looked like the fair would be canceled after a May tornado destroyed two buildings and heavily damaged two others at the Drew County Fairgrounds.

Cleveland fair

The Cleveland County Fair, Livestock Show and Rodeo opens its run Wednesday and will conclude Saturday with two pageants, a “Mutton Busting” contest (sheep riding for city slickers) and the rodeo, according to the Cleveland County Herald.

The fair will follow the same schedule used for the most recent editions.

The fair parade will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday on Main Street in Rison, followed by an antique car show on the Centennial Bank parking lot, the weekly publication said.

Poles defective?

Four light poles at Hyatt Field may be defective and subject to a recall, according to the Advance Monticellonian. The weekly publication said Monticello School District officials learned of the problem shortly before the start of the Monticallo-Warren football game on Sept. 11.

The poles will be inspected prior to the next home football game on Oct. 2, district officials were quoted as saying.

The defective light poles, which have triggered lawsuits by a number of school districts, involve deteriorating wells around the base of poles that have cracked.

Superintendent Bobby Harper told the Monticello School Board Tuesday there is little recourse through the supplier since the firm has filed for bankruptcy protection, according to the Advance Monticellonian.

Harper was quoted as saying the Searcy School District found four of 20 light poles were defective and must be replaced, resulting in the district canceling all home football games this year.

However, the Camden Fairview School District had the district’s light poles inspected since they were obtained from the same supplier and none were found to be defective.

Game moved

Saturday’s football game between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and Henderson State was moved from Monticello to Arkadelphia due to a safety issue with the light poles at Convoy Leslie-Cotton Boll Stadium.

UAM officials were told Thursday afternoon by the engineering firm Reliapole Solutions Inc. that the stadium’s four light poles have small fatigue-related cracks in their base plates, the Advance Monticellonian said.

Science finalist

Ginny Chambliss, chemistry and physics teacher at Rison High School, has been selected as a state finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science teaching, the Cleveland County Herald said.

A veteran of 13 years in the classroom, Chambliss is one of three Arkansas school science teachers to be eligible to receive the state Presidential Award, the nation’s highest honor for science teachers in kindergarten through high school.

Owlfest planned

McGehee’s annual Owlfest celebration will be held Oct. 15-18.

Additions to the annual festival-homecoming celebration include a hot dog eating contest, co-ed softball and possibly a magic act, according to The Times-News of McGehee and Dermott.

The Owlfest includes a homecoming parade and bonfire on Oct. 15, followed by a presentation of the McGehee High School Homecoming Court and a pep rally at the school.

The MHS Owls will play the Dollarway High School Cardinals at 7 p.m. Oct. 16.

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